Love's Sorrow
by aachannoichi
Summary: Some love's are destined to end sorrowfully and some tragedies are unavoidable. For The Boss and The Sorrow both these things are painfully true.
1. Prologue

Love's Sorrow

Prologue

Tselinoyarsk, Russia

Spring, 1962

It was hard to believe, but the man that stood before her was once a comrade, a friend, and her fellow solider. The one she looked up to more then anyone else, but now this man was her enemy. But why would he trade sides so easily? Looking into his pale hazel eyes, the answer just seemed to escape her. He was always so logical, he was always was the one to know right from wrong, but why fight on the side of the communist party?

Face to face with The Sorrow, Boss asked herself these questions over and over again, but really she was stalling. She didn't want to do it… Maybe there could be a peaceful resolution to this whole mess, but it seemed doubtful.

"Boss," The Sorrow said with his normal calm voice. "You have to shoot me."

"I can't!" She said with tears welling in the corner of her blue eyes.

"Shoot me!" He demanded. "You want to finish your mission don't you? Then you'll have to shoot me."

"No!" She said with her hand trembling.

The Sorrow knew that he would have to take matters into his own hands. She had to finish her mission; he loved her enough to make sure she would not fail, even at the cost of his own life. He always wanted her to be a great success. It was one of the many things she fought so hard for; to disprove to anyone that she incapable of being a solider because of her gender. And now she contemplated throwing it all away over the feelings she carried for him. He couldn't let her do this.

Using his psychokinetic powers, The Sorrow seized control over The Boss. However she was no fool; she knew that he would try this, so she attempted to block her mind. She tried to keep herself focused so he couldn't delve too deeply inside her mind, but it was a futile effort. The Sorrow took complete control of her, and forced her to raise her arm. The Boss was trembling hard as her hand firmly griped the handgun. Why was he making her do this? She didn't want things to end this way. The tears poured from her blue eyes as she felt her finger claps around the trigger.

"The spirit of the warrior will always be with you." He said in his most sweet tone. "Don't be sad. We'll meet again someday…"


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

St. Petersburg, Russia

Summer, 1942

This was a miserable day. The fighting between the Russians and Germans was particularly harsh today. The Russians were determined to keep the territories they had gotten back from the Germans, but the Germans wouldn't give up so easily. They were fighting like rabid dogs to regain their lost territories. So for days battles raged, seemingly out of control at times. The entire area reeked of the smell of blood, death, gunpowder, and smoke. The sounds of gunshots and cannons could be heard no matter where you were in St. Petersburg. In the midst of all this horror The Boss had to find the last potential member of her unit, Sashenka Yerik Trofimoff. According to one of the Russian commanders, he was on a reconnaissance mission in the north, but he was due back any day now.

There was nothing for The Boss to do except wait for Sashenka to return. She had been here for six days waiting for him to come back from this recon mission. If only she had finished her last snatch mission sooner, she could have been on an earlier flight out to Moscow and she could have gotten to him before he had taken off. But it was no matter. It felt kinda nice being with the Russian resistance soldiers. They would fight so valiantly against the Germans. Never had she seen a group fight so fervently for their country. It was probably good that they fought so hard, they after all were the ones taking most of the heavy causalities in this war.

The Boss got up from the cot she was laying on. Reaching into her backpack, she grabbed the file on Sashenka Yerik Trofimoff. Opening the file, she glanced at his picture. His file said he was about 32 years old, but they weren't sure of his age. He looked a lot older then 32. From the black and white photo, it appeared that his hair was white and it was most definitely receding too. He was burly, and very tall; he was about 6'3, but wore glasses, his demeanor was so gentle and unassuming. He didn't seem like the type of man who would be in the military. But according to his records he was a genius in reconnaissance and a formidable fighter.

However it was something else about his character that intrigued her something terribly. It was the fact that this man could communicate with the deceased. She was so curious to know how someone could possibly communicate with the dead. After all there was nothing after death, at least that's what she believed. There was no heaven or hell, just a bright light and then nothing. But who knows, maybe there was something after death. Perhaps he could explain it to her once they met.

She continued to thumb through his records, pausing to read some of the more interesting notes. Like it was his ability to speak to dead soldiers that helped him become such a mastermind at reconnaissance missions. Also he was the subject of many governmental tests to asses the nature of his powers. But all the test were inconclusive, the only thing they were able to determine is his brainwaves were more heightened then the average person.

Closing the file and placing it back into her backpack, she went out of the room she was given, to go get something to drink. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the sounds of the Russian commander praising one of his soldiers. Apparently whatever news he was just given brightened the commander's day, she could hear his praises even after she was well past the commander's office.

Grabbing a cup of coffee, The Boss made her way back to her room, but as she crossed the commander's office, the door opened and the commander walked out.

"Oh I was just getting ready to go and get you Boss." The tall portly man said.

"Yes." She answered. "What is it you need?"

"Nothing," The commander said. "It's just that Trofimoff has just returned from the north and I know you wanted to see him.

The commander turned away from The Boss and shouted from Trofimoff, who instantly stood up.

"Please come into my office." The commander said kindly to The Boss.

She walked in and there before her was Trofimoff.

"Trofimoff," The commander introduced. "I would like to introduce you to The Boss. She is the best solider in the world today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said saluting her.

"No the pleasure is all mine." The Boss answered back.

"The Boss has been waiting for you to return from your mission." The commander continued. "She's also been fighting the Germans with us while she was waiting. You've never seen someone fight so hard and with a smile on her face to boot. She's quite an amazing person."

"Thank you commander." She said kindly.

"I'm just being honest." He said. "But if you two would excuse me, I have to report to the troops."

The commander left the room and closed the door behind him. The Boss and Trofimoff both sat down at the table and began to talk.

"I'm sure you are wondering why I was waiting for you." She said.

"Yes." He said softly. "That thought has crossed my mind."

"I was wondering if you would be interested in joining my unit." She said bluntly.

He didn't answer.

"I was told that you were the best when it came to reconnaissance missions." She said.

"I'm not that good." He said.

"There's no need for modesty." She said. "I've heard about your talents, why even the commander says you have a gift."

"It's more like a curse." He answered softly.

"Well, no matter what you call it, you are still a very talented man." She said with a smile. "I want the best in the world to fight with me, and I just about have the best."

"You do?"

"Yes. All I need now is you to complete my unit." She said. "Will you please join me?"

Trofimoff looked at her and smiled brightly although she couldn't understand why he was smiling at her.

"Yes," He said. "I will join your unit Lilith."

"What did you just call me?" She questioned instantly.

"Lilith?" He asked. "That is your name isn't it?"

"How do you know that?" She questioned sounding completely astonished.

"She told me to call you that." He answered cryptically.

"Who?" The Boss asked.

"Your mother told me." He answered. "She's watching over you right now. She's always watching over you."

The Boss didn't say anything to that comment. She never really gave much consideration to her mother, especially considering she never met her. She died in childbirth, so she never got a chance to meet her. From everything her father use to tell her about her mother, she was a sweet soft spoken woman, who was feminine to an extreme. That was everything that she wasn't.

"I'm sorry." Trofimoff said very apologetically. "I didn't mean to…"

"No." The Boss interrupted. "I understand that you can't control your powers."

"Normally I can." He said. "It's just that I saw that beautiful woman behind you, and I couldn't help but listen to what she had to say."

"In any case." She said trying to change the subject. "I will trust that you will never mention my real name ever again?"

"You have my word." He said. "What shall I call you? Commander?"

"Call me Boss." She said with a grin.

"Yes Boss."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Washington DC

One Week Later

It took about a week for The Boss and Sashenka to return back to the United States. Slipping past the Germans was no easy tasks. Plus she was responsible for all the flying since Sashenka didn't know the first thing about piloting. But it didn't matter how long it took to get back, because she had the final member of her great unit. Everything had fallen into place so easily, which was good. No doubt, the government already had an assignment waiting for her and the new unit, but before anything could be done, she had to introduce all the members to one another, as well as designate codenames.

Walking down the halls of Langley Air Force Base, The Boss came to the General's office; he had made a request to see her, before she met with the newly formed unit.

The Boss knocked on the door.

"Please come in." The General said.

The Boss opened the door and walked into the room. Inside were General Willard Paul, General Francis March, and General William Simpson.

"Ah Boss." Said General Paul. "You are looking well, as usual."

"Thank you." She said graciously. "So do you have my assignment ready?"

"Direct as ever Boss." Answered General March. "You and the newly formed unit will be sent out tomorrow on a snatch mission."

"Who's the target?" She asked.

"This man." General March said pulling out a picture from a manila envelope and handing it to The Boss.

"Who is he?" She questioned again.

"He's a German general named Heinrich Clöβner. He's the general commanding officer for the Nazi's LIII Corp." General Simpson said. "He's considered to be one of the Nazi's most important generals. If we capture him, he could not only provide us with useful information, but it would seriously weaken the Nazi's defense."

"What makes you think he would be apt to talk if we captured him?" The Boss questioned.

"We don't know that for certain." General March answered. "But it's worth a try. Besides, he's a big wig in the Nazi party. If we can take this link out of the Nazi chain, then the chain will start to weaken."

"I understand." The Boss answered. "So where is this target located?"

"The LIII Corp's base is located twenty miles southwest of Stuttgart. It's not too far from the French border." General Simpson said. "In fact, French Resistance fighters have been keeping tabs on the whereabouts of General Clößner for several months now and they told us they even have an insider who helps them in their struggle."

"Who's the insider?"

"His name is simply Ahren." General Paul said. "From what we've been told he is a German who had become dejected with the Nazi Party and he wants to help with the French resistance."

"Can this Ahren be trusted?" The Boss asked suspiciously.

"According to our French contact, yes he can." General Paul said. "He has provided the French with excellent information up to this point and he doesn't show any signs of being a spy."

The Boss didn't answer.

"Those are the details of your mission." General March said. "We will leave the tactical aspects to you, as we know you are more then capable of handling this situation."

"Indeed." The Boss replied.

"Oh and one more thing Boss," General Simpson added.

"Yes."

"When you get to France you're contact there will be a man named, Chapin Beaumont." The general said. "He is the leader of the French resistance in that area. The password is 'Some lonely man has lost his way and roars though the forest are ringing.'"

"Okay." She said. "When do we depart?"

"You and the rest of the unit will depart at 0600 tomorrow morning." General Paul said. "You will arrive in London for a brief stop and then from there you will depart for the France. Security, particularly airspace security in that part of the region is tight as a drum, but have solid intelligence when the Germans pilots patrol that area. The best time to slip in would be about 2300 hours; that's when the Nazi's go back the base for refueling."

"They said during that time they are gone is about thirty minuets." General Simpson said. "That should be time for you to slip in."

"What about anti-aircraft weaponry?" The Boss asked.

"In that area they mostly use light machineguns to take down aircrafts."

"But those are only effective against low-flying aircrafts right?" The Boss asked.

"Correct." He replied. "So you will no doubt need a high altitude aircraft for this mission."

"Something like say… Oh I don't know, a B-17." The Boss questioned with a smile.

"Goodness Boss." General March said. "You just love to fly those things."

The Boss said nothing, she just smiled.

"Yes, we will equip you with a B-17."

"Thank you."

"We will even give you your own nine man crew to help with navigation."

"That is most generous of you." She answered. "Are you sure you can spare it though. I thought I had heard you just started using the B-17's for bombing runs."

"For you Boss we can spare it." General Paul said.

"Is there anything else gentlemen?" The Boss questioned.

"No Boss, that is all."

"Well if you will excuse me." The Boss said. "I must go and meet my new unit."

The generals all saluted and The Boss saluted back before leaving the room. This was just a wonderful day. Her new unit had just received their first assignment, and now she could put their skills to the ultimate test. Seeing them in action should be great. She could scarcely contain her excitement.

The Boss came to the room where all the members of the new unit were. Before she entered the room she could hear them all in there speaking to one another. It was good to know that they were getting acquainted before she formally introduced them to one another. The Boss opened the door and the men instantly piped up as she came into the room.

"Hello gentlemen." She said with a smile. "I trust you all are well today."

"Yes." They all answered in unison.

"That's good." She said. "You all know why you are assembled here today."

"Yes." Said Sashenka. "We are all apart of your unit."

"Yes." The Boss answered. "You gentlemen are the best fighters in the world today. That is why I have personally hand picked all of you to fight alongside me. After some long deliberation, I have come up with codenames for all of you. Also, I just came back from a meeting with the generals, and we have our first mission."

The men sounded impressed, that they weren't even together a full day and already they had a mission.

"But first let me assign your codenames. When I picked these codenames, I wanted to give you names that reflect the emotions that shine though when you are in battle." She said. "Starting with Greg Larson. You are a master hornet and bee tamer, who has suffered unimaginable pain to train your hornets. For that I give to you the codename, The Pain."

"Thank you Boss." He said graciously.

"Next, Nicanor Salvador. You are one of the most fearsome men I have ever met in my life. You ability to move quickly though trees and other coarse terrain make you a definite threat. Also you are highly skilled with your trademark crossbow; for all this, I give to you the codename The Fear."

"I will do my best to live up to the title."

"I know you will." She said kindly. "Next, we have the oldest member of our unit, an octogenarian, but make no mistake; he is deadly with a sniper rifle. If I am not mistaken, you are the creator of all sniping techniques?"

"That is correct." He said softly.

"It wasn't easy to find you Grant Thomas." She said. "I had to go to a very remote part of Canada, but it was more then worth it to have you in my unit. It is an honor to have you in my unit."

"The honor is all mine Boss." He replied.

"I would like to bestow with the codename The End." She said. "Because anyone who has the misfortune to tread into your rifle scope will meet their end."

"That is very true Boss."

"And now, we have Andrey Vladimir Mokotoff. I've never seen anyone fight with as much fury and passion as you have. Especially considering the weapon you choose to wield is a flamethrower. They aren't as easily handled as one would think are they?"

"No they aren't." He replied.

"The one you have is specially created isn't it?"

"Yes." He said with pride. "Most normal flamethrowers have four gallons of fuel and can only be fired for up to ten seconds, but my flamethrower has about fifty gallons of fuel and can be fired for up to one minuet."

"Impressive." She said with a smile. "It is because of your passion and fury I am giving you the codename The Fury."

"Thank you Boss."

"And lastly the final member of our unit, Sashenka Yerik Trofimoff. He is a master in reconnaissance and from what I've been told a skilled fighter."

"Yes," The Fury said. "I've heard of his genius. Is it true you can communicate with the dead?"

"Yes it is true." He replied.

"They say that is how you became such a master of reconnaissance." The Fury continued. "By talking to soldiers who have died in battle."

"That is correct." The Boss interrupted. "It is that skill that is going help our unit be an overwhelming success. And it is for your remarkable talents I give you the codename The Sorrow."

"And what about your emotion?" The Sorrow asked.

"Yes." The End added. "You should have a codename with an emotion too."

"Well what kind of codename should I have?" She said.

"What about The Joy." The Sorrow said.

"That sounds pretty good." She said with a smile. "What do you think?"

The others agreed.

"It is agreed." She said kindly. "In addition to The Boss, I will also be known as The Joy."


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

London, England

The Next Day

The Boss and the others had made their way to England as a rest stop before departing to France to meet up with the French Resistance group. Once they had landed, she ordered everyone to get some rest and relax before tomorrow's risky nighttime flight into Nazi territory. It was already early evening, and she figured she too should get some rest before attempting to pilot out, but first she just had to meet an old friend.

Walking though the dark corridors of the base, The Boss knocked on an office door and heard a familiar voice beckon her inside.

"Ah Boss." The man said cheerfully. "What a surprise to see you here. How are you?"

"I'm fine Zero." She said shaking his hand. "How have you been?"

"I've been well." He said. "A little overworked, but otherwise fine. I thought you in St. Petersburg."

"I just came back a not to long ago." She said sitting down in a nearby chair.

"So what brings you back to the SAS?" Zero questioned as he sat down behind his desk.

"I came by for a visit." She said. "I just had to stop in and say hello to one of the best pilots in the SAS."

"Ever since I became a Brigadier I haven't been in the air much." He said softly. "But every once in awhile they'll let me still fly."

"If you get the chance try to get inside a B17." She said with a grin. "I know you would love it. But, I thought you were giving the rank of Major."

"Not yet." He answered. "The government has been pleased with my performance so far, and they said if I continue on this path I should make Major in about two months or so."

"Well congratulations on your promotion." The Boss said kindly.

"Thank you." He said kindly. "Tell you what Boss, why don't I take you to dinner. My treat, what do you say?"

"I would love to Zero." She said kindly. "But I am a little exhausted and should really take a rest tonight. But I will take a raincheck."

"Very well then." He said kindly. "When you're feeling better we'll go to dinner."

The Boss got up from the chair and shook Zero's hand one more time before leaving his office. As The Boss walked down the hallway, her mind went back to all the happy times she had spent in the SAS. These men were a very talented group who fought with grace and precision, and Zero was no exception. He was a very tough pilot with an unnatural gift for accurate bombing and he was possibly the greatest tactician she had ever known. It was no wonder that he was already a Brigadier, surely he would be a Major soon enough.

Finally The Boss had come to her private room. She was positively worn out from everything that had happened over the last week or so. But it a little loss of sleep was a small sacrifice for defending the world from madmen bent on world domination. If she could keep the world safe for all future generations, all her efforts would be worth it.

With a yawn, The Boss began to remove her uniform and prepared to take a nice nap. Normally knowing how pressed for time she would be, she would leave it on, but right now sleep was a little more important then time. Besides, if she was going to fly into enemy territory she needed to be rested, because who knows what may happen. According to the Generals, the information about the Nazi's refueling for a half hour was dependable, but nothing could be taken for granted these days. The Nazi's were slowly loosing their strangle hold on Europe and the fighting has been particularly horrible of late. Maybe with this war would be over in a year or two.

Lying down upon the small cot, The Boss's eyes focused on the ceiling and she listed all the things she would have to take care of before tonight's departure. While she was thinking her mind drifted briefly to thoughts of her new unit and a smile curved about her lips. They were all brilliant warriors and she knew she was lucky to have found them, especially someone like Sashenka. His reconnaissance skills would really be needed for this mission. There was so much she didn't know about her contact or the insider. He would have to be the one to find out information on them. Slowly but surely The Boss's mind began to wind down and her blue eyes began to feel heavy. Finally The Boss fell into a deep sleep.

"_Daddy!"_ She screamed with tears streaming from her eyes.

"_It's alright Lil." _Her father reassured her._ "Don't worry about me."_

"_Daddy…" _

"_Always remember what I told you Lilith. You are the last remaining child of the Philosophers; you must continue to uphold the ways of the Philosophers no matter what."_

One of the assailants held her tightly, while the other assailant pushed her father to the floor. Her father didn't say anything further to her or to the man sent to kill him; he just closed his blue eyes and waited for the inevitable, while his eleven year old daughter looked on. Finally the assailant pulled the trigger of the handgun and a loud bang echoed all around her…

The Boss gasped and opened up her eyes. Tiny beads of sweat graced her brow and she panted slightly. It had been a long time since she had had a nightmare about the death of her father. She hadn't thought about his violent demise in a few years now, why all of a sudden would that horrible memory plague her dreams? With a sigh, The Boss pulled herself up off the pillows and sat against the wall and tried to calm down.

Looking around her room trying desperately to get her mind off the nightmare, she looked at the clock and saw that it was only four in the morning. In a few hours she would have to get up and begin preparations for the mission later. If she could slide in a few hours more of sleep, the day would go much smoother. Putting her feet onto the floor, she decided to go to the cafeteria for a little sack. Maybe that would help settle her nerves so she could return to sleep.

The Boss put on her uniform pants and some socks, but she just remained in her undershirt as she left the room. The corridors of base were silent as she walked. Normally there was someone around to stand guard or at the very least just walking around, so it was strange not to have anyone around. The Boss shrugged off the silence and continued into the dimly lit cafeteria. Inside, she saw The Sorrow sitting at one of the tables looking in a cup.

"Hello." She said walking over to the table and sitting down in front of him.

"Oh hello Boss." He said softly.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" She asked. "Having problems sleeping? Or are you having problems adjusting to the time difference?"

"I had a bit of a nightmare." He answered. "And you?"

"I couldn't sleep either." She answered. "I was having a nightmare of my own."

The Sorrow said nothing he just took a sip of his drink and continued to stare at the table. The Boss looked at him and smiled. The Sorrow noticed that she was smiling at him and he couldn't help but blush, which caused her to giggle.

"Interesting." She said.

"What?" He said trying not to look directly at her.

"Well, you really don't act like a solider." She started. "You're kinda shy and silent."

He didn't say anything to her comment.

"Even during the plane ride here, you hardly said anything to anyone."

"That's not true." He defended. "I spoke with The Fury and The End."

"Yes," She said kindly. "You did."

The Boss got up from the table and went over to the coffee counter. Grabbing the nearby coffee pot, she poured the coffee into a little glass saucer and sat back down in front of Sashenka.

"Boss?" Sashenka asked.

"Yes Sorrow."

"Can I ask you why did you choose me to be in your unit?" He said timidly. "I'm not as great a fighter as the others."

"Nonsense." She said reassuringly. "According to your file you are a superior warrior."

"What's in my file is embellished." He said sorrowfully. "My marksmanship scores are poor. The only reason why it says I'm a good fighter is because I can use my abilities to coax dead soldiers into my body and gain their abilities."

"I see." She said sounding unfazed by his confession.

"I have probably disappointed you."

"On the contrary." She said. "You have me more intrigued now."

"Really?"

"Yes." The Boss said. "Listen, I would be lying if I told you that I understood the nature of your abilities. In fact I was skeptical of them, that is until you said my name. I've never ever told anyone my name before, but you knew it and said my mother had told you… Your talents are invaluable."

"Thank you Boss."

"Listen," She said gently. "According to everyone I've talked to and everything I've read about you they all say that you are the world's best reconnaissance man. No one can ever take that away from you. And don't worry about fighting; I'll do the fighting for the both of us."

The Boss reached out and grabbed The Sorrow's hand. Instantly, his mind began to flash and started having visions. He could see glimmers of things to come with The Boss, but none of visions were clear. They were all just muddled and kinda hazy like a dream. While in this state, his pale hazel eyes started to roll back into his head and his breathing stopped all together. The Boss saw what was happening to him, but she didn't understand what it was or how his condition could deteriorate so rapidly. Letting go of his hand, The Boss stood up and went to the side of The Sorrow to see what she could do for him. Once she had let go of his hand, his breathing started again and his eyes rolled forward.

"Sorrow." She said gently shaking him. "Sorrow are you all right?"

"Yes." He said feebly. "That hasn't happened to me since I was a child."

"What was wrong with you?" She questioned.

"I…" He hesitated to answer. "It was nothing."

"Hm…" She murmured. "Well, are you okay? Should I take you to the infirmary?"

"No." The Sorrow said getting up from the table. "I think I'll just go and lay down for awhile."

"At least let me help you walk." She insisted.

"No please." He stopped her. "I can manage on my own. Goodnight Boss."

"Good… Goodnight." She said.

The Sorrow left the cafeteria. He felt so drained as if that touch sucked the very life from his body. But why would he start having powerful visions like that one again. He hadn't experience such powerful visions since his mother passed away, so why would they all of a sudden reoccur with The Boss? With a sigh, The Sorrow went back into the barracks with the other members of the unit and tried to get a go back to sleep before tomorrow's briefing.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Nighttime had finally cast its shadow over the military base. The day seemed endless, but that was always how it was for The Boss when she had a nighttime mission. She would always be anxious for night to fall so she could jump blissfully back into the fray. During the day, she spent going over her tactical maneuvers and making sure the B-17 was fuelled and in top condition for tonight. By the late afternoon everything was set and ready for the departure.

All were assembled inside the B-17 and were eager to begin the mission of this newly formed unit. Meanwhile, inside the cockpit, The Boss was doing a final cross check of the B-17 before she would take off for southern France. Just the sounds of the engine churning and the propellers starting to turn filled her with an unimaginable delight, this truly was what she lived for.

The final cross check was completed and she was given the green light to pull off. The Boss clutched the steering wheel and flew up into the darkened night sky. She could almost scarcely contain her excitement as she steady the massive airplane once it reached it maximum speed. Deep down she hoped there would be at least one or two Nazi aircrafts still patrolling the area; she wanted to give one of the ten machine guns a test run. However, she was also given permission to bomb anything that could be perceived as a threat, so there was a chance she would have a chance to unload some of the bombs the B-17 carried.

Much to The Boss's disappointment the information about the Nazi's refueling for a half hour was true. During the entire duration of the flight, nothing happened. No planes were in the air, with the exception of a few British and American bombers. With a sigh The Boss, prepared to descend to the large vacant field where the B-17 would rest. Landing in the field was a little difficult, with all the trees and shrubs around, but it wasn't anything that was beyond her scope of capabilities. Once the plane was safely on the ground, she turned off the plane's engine, and went to the rear of the plane to do a final briefing to her Unit.

"Good evening Gentleman." She started. "We are on our first official assignment as a unit. If our first mission is a success, as I know it will be, we will be given an official name for our little motley crew. Tonight I will meet up with French Resistance fighters."

"Who are the resistance fighters?" The Pain asked.

"Our contacts' name is Chapin Beaumont." The Boss answered sternly. "He is the leader of the French Resistance. He is the man responsible for getting us the information on our target."

"And just who is our target?" The Fury asked.

"A Nazi LIII General named Heinrich Clöβner." She said. "His base is about fifteen miles from the France German border. Security is going to be particularly tight, especially around Clöβner so I will need everyone's skills for this particular mission. Right now, The Sorrow and I will meet our contact and the man responsible for giving us the information; a man known as Ahren. Once we have the necessary information on how to get to Clöβner, we will report here and make a final strategic plan on how exactly to abduct the General."

"What time will you report back?" The Fury asked.

"No later then 0600 hours." She replied. "The rendezvous point is about a half a mile from here. No doubt they heard the plane landing so the contact should be already there waiting for us. But should something go awry I want you to continue the mission with or without me. It is of the utmost importance we get Clöβner into custody, nothing should deter you from that mission."

"Yes Boss." The all agreed.

"Once The Sorrow and I meet with Beaumont we will report back here and commence the mission. This mission will be called Operation Cobra, from now on you will refer to the mission as Cobra."

"Yes Boss."

"Well," The Boss said turning to The Sorrow. "Shall we go Sorrow?"

"Yes Boss." The Sorrow replied adjusting his glasses.

The Boss and The Sorrow turned and began to walk to the small path. According to the intelligence given, that path would lead to a crossroad and that was where the rendezvous point was located. The pair walked quietly down the path, because The Boss was engulfed in deep thought. Something about tonight was very wrong. With all the noise the B-17 made, why weren't there any attempts to try to shoot it down before it landed? It wasn't like the Nazi's to have such a serious gap in their security; especially considering Stuttgart, one of their main strongholds, was so close by. This whole mission could be a trap, but no one knew about this unit, what would be gained by capturing them? It was to perplexing, but the questions would have to wait until later. Right now, all that mattered was capturing Clöβner and bringing him, alive, back to Allied territory.

"Are you worried Boss?" The Sorrow questioned.

"Why do you ask?" She answered.

"You just look a little contemplative, that's all." He said.

"Well, to answer your question, worried, no I'm not worried." She said sternly. "I'm just a little concerned this may be a trap. Should I be worried Sorrow?"

"I'll let you know once we meet our contact." He replied.

"Fair enough."

The path began to turn into a small dirt road and up head was where it split into a fork. Waiting in the middle of the fork was a thin man, with long black hair tied in a ponytail, and dressed in a black coat. The Boss instructed The Sorrow to wait in the distance as she approached the man in the coat. Walking up next to him, The Boss turned and faced the man and looked into his dark eyes.

"It is a lovely night, is it not?" The man said.

"Not a cloud in the sky." She answered. "Some lonely man has lost his way."

"Roars though the forest are ringing." The man answered. "Boss I presume?"

"Yes." She answered.

"I have been expecting you." He said kindly.

The Boss said nothing.

"Where are the rest of the US forces?" He asked.

"Right now there is only myself and my partner." The Boss answered coolly as she beckoned The Sorrow to come forward. "The rest of the troops will arrive when the time is right."

"Very well." Beaumont said. "Come, I shall lead you to our headquarters. I'll introduce you to the rest of the resistance fighters."

The trio began to walk down the right side of the fork in the road.

"So tell me," Beaumont started. "Who is your friend here?"

"His name is Le Attrister." She answered.

"The Sorrow?" Beaumont questioned. "What a strange name. May I ask why is he called The Sorrow?"

"It's as good a name as any." She retorted. "Besides, doesn't he look a little melancholy?"

Beaumont turned and got a really good look at The Sorrow, and he did look as though he was in a state of perpetual sorrow.

"Cheer up my friend!" Beaumont said wrapping his arms around The Sorrow's shoulders. "There is nothing for you to be so sad about. The stars are dancing in the night sky, there haven't been any air raids tonight, and you are amongst friends; what more could anyone ask for."

The Sorrow said nothing; he just continued to walk silently down the road.

"What's wrong?" Beaumont asked. "Don't you speak?"

"The Sorrow doesn't know how to speak French." She answered.

"What does he know how to speak?" He asked. "English, German, Italian?"

"He speaks Russian." She answered.

"A language I know nothing about." Beaumont said sorrowfully. "He must teach me sometime, but only after I've taught him some French."

The trio walked silently down the darkened road, until they came to a barn that was behind a tiny farm. From the looks of the surroundings, the farm was still being tended to. That surprised The Boss, because the German soldiers had been known to destroy tiny farms and plunder any resources it may hold. Yes, this was a very unsettling situation, but the only thing she could do for the time being is play along with Beaumont and see what events would unfold.

"This is where the resistance fighter are holding up." Beaumont said.

"Why are you staying here?" The Boss asked suspiciously.

"Because this was the only place left unscathed by those Nazi bastards." Beaumont said sternly. "The village a few miles from here has been all but destroyed by them."

"So why was this farm not destroyed?" She questioned.

"There was some talk of turning the farm into a prison camp." A different man's voice chimed out.

The Boss grabbed her gun and pulled it out in the direction of the man's voice.

"It's okay Boss." Beaumont said. "It's only Ahren."

Ahren walked up from the shadows. Ahren was a very tall young man with long blonde hair and dull blue eyes. He walked up to them wearing still wearing a Nazi soldier's uniform, something that really irked The Boss terribly.

"So you are the American we have been waiting for." He said in an odd tone towards The Boss. "I wasn't expecting them to send a girl."

Hearing Ahren calling her "a girl" infuriated The Boss. Her trigger finger, which was still tightly clasped around the gun, was itching to fire and blow this cocky little jackass away.

"If this is the best the American's can do then we're doomed."

Insulted and enraged The Boss adjusted her arm and pulled the trigger of the handgun. The shot she fired grazed Ahren's right cheek causing the skin to break. Ahren stood there motionless for a moment, his dull eyes wide with fear.

"I think it would be in your best interest to curb your tongue now." She said sternly. "Or else the next one will go right between your dead eyes."

Not a second sooner, all the resistance fighters came pouring out of the barn to see what that gun shot was. Beaumont had calmed everyone fears and had everyone, including The Boss and The Sorrow come into the barn. While everyone was entering the barn, Ahren wiped off the blood that was pouring down his cheek. His rage was overwhelming. How dare this American bitch fire at him? No matter what would happen, he vowed his revenge on her.

Quelling his rage, Ahren walked into the barn and sat down next to Beaumont and the pair began to whisper to one another. The Boss and The Sorrow didn't take their eyes of either of them as they sat down in a small corner of the barn away from the others.

"What do you think Sorrow?" She said whispering to him in Russian.

"Neither are to be trusted." He answered.

"Just as I suspected." She said.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Three hours had passed since The Boss and The Sorrow had gone to meet the resistance fighters, the others she had left behind were starting to get a little concerned about them. The all sat outside the B-17 huddled around a small campfire wait to hear anything from anyone.

"When do you think we should go looking for them?" The Fear asked.

"It's not 0600 hours yet." The Fury said. "We'll go look for them after 0600 hours."

"And if we can't find them?" The Fear asked.

"We will continue the mission." The End chimed in. "It is what we said we would do."

"Tell me something old man," The Fear said. "Why are you out here? I would think a man of your great age would want to live a more peaceful life."

"The Boss is a dear friend of mine." He said. "When she was a bit younger she trained under me for a few years. She had the strongest drive and determination of any person I'd known. For me, it is a great honor to see her blossom into such an extraordinary soldier."

"I see." The Fury said softly. "And you Fury, why did you join her?"

"Because she understood my rage and hatred for the world." He answered without hesitation. "Deep down, she too shares that same rage and hatred for the world. Even if she would never admit it to anyone."

"And you hornet tamer, why did you join her unit?"

"Why do you want to know everyone's motives for joining her?" He questioned back. "You tell me what your motives were for entering this unit and I'll share mine."

The Fear smiled and answered smugly, "The Boss is a beautiful woman. How could I say no to someone like that?"

But in truth that wasn't the reason he had joined up with The Boss. In the village where he lived in South America a bitter civil war was tearing the countryside apart. During the middle of this intense fighting The Boss, who couldn't have been any more then sixteen at the time, appeared in the fray. For days she and other soldiers fought against the rebel forces of which he was apart.

After seven days of bloodshed and destruction, both the rebel forces and the resistance soldiers units were nearly decimated. Supplies on both sides were at a critical end, but the other resistance fighters wouldn't venture outside of their bunker for fear of the man known as Nicanor a renowned hunter and trapper in this area. Several resistance fighters had been killed getting tangled in either one of his perilous traps or taken down by one of his poisoned arrows. The Boss insisted that she wasn't afraid to stand up against Nicanor or his trapping skills, so she went into the nearby forest to gather what supplies she could that was when they had met.

The one thing he had always admired about The Boss was her fearlessness. Even though he had shot her with one of his poison arrows through her left calf, even though he dislocated all his limbs, and even though he dangled from the trees like a gigantic spider she was still undeterred from her mission. So for hours they fought, both sustaining fantastic injuries, but in the end The Boss proved to be the victor of the clash. He could still hear the words she spoke to him before letting him go, "_I won't kill you. A fine soldier such as yourself does not deserve to die by my hands. I hope there will be a time when we can fight together, instead of as adversaries._"

"_I look forward to that day._"

"_Until we meet again._" She said extending her hand for a handshake.

"_Until we meet again._" He said shaking her hand.

"Are you sure that is the only reason you joined her?" The Pain asked suspiciously. "That seems a shallow reason to follow someone into battle."

"I'm just a shallow kind of man." The Fear answered back. "So now that I've told you my reason why, please what was your reason for joining the unit?"

"No one would take my working with hornets seriously." He said. "All the other military brass would just act as if I was insane, but The Boss was different. She understood how useful my hornets and I could be against a large or small army."

"Interesting." The Fear replied. "Well, with all our forces allying we will be an unstoppable unit."

"That is very true." The Pain replied. "And with The Boss to guide us, no one could ever hope to stand in our way."

"Here, here!" The End agreed.

The men all settled down for a few brief moments of silence and waited for The Boss and The Sorrow to return. A few moments had passed when suddenly from the small path appeared both The Sorrow and The Boss. Neither, thankfully, appeared to be injured or in any distress which was a good sign. It meant that no enemy forces were in the vicinity.

"Welcome back Boss." The Pain said.

"Thank you." She said kindly as she sat down by the warm fire.

"How was the meeting with the contact?" The Fury asked.

"It was good." She said. "However it appears we were sent right into the middle of a trap."

"How do you know Boss?" The Pain asked.

"Many things tipped me off." She said. "First and foremost, there were no attempts to shoot down the B-17. Even if the Nazi's had to refuel for a half hour, there still should be some kind of back-up planes or ground support to cover for the lapse in security. It's really not like the Nazi's to have this bad a security lapse. Also, has anyone come by in the last few hours to patrol?"

"We haven't seen nor heard anyone." The Fear replied.

"As I suspected." The Boss continued. "We are twenty miles away from Stuttgart, and less then five miles from the LIII Corp's base. For no one to have patrolled this area in a few hours is very suspicious."

"So what are we going to do Boss?" The End asked.

"The resistance fighters are holding up in a barn about a half mile from here." She said. "According to their meeting they are planning on taking down some of the LIII soldier's tomorrow morning at dawn."

"And that's when we'll strike?" The Fury asked.

"No." She replied. "We're going to go later tonight?"

"Not to question your authority Boss." The End asked. "But why not go when the resistance fighters are going to go?"

"According to our contact Beaumont and Ahren, security is at it's weakest during the morning hours." She said. "However, The Sorrow and I did a little recon work of our and discovered that security is at its most lax in the evening, when most of the soldiers leave for nighttime battle training."

"Why the deception?" The Fear asked.

"Turns out that Beaumont is a Nazi sympathizer and Ahren is a spy sent by Clöβner to weed out troublemakers. Tomorrow morning they are going to betray the resistance group and have them killed."

"What are our orders Boss?" The End asked.

"Our orders are to procure Clöβner, nothing else." She said sternly.

"I understand." The End answered. "So what's the plan Boss?"

"I want The Pain and The Fury to take the front position." She answered. "I The Pain to coax out any remaining guards. Fury, I want you to keep him covered in case they start shooting. I want you to blast them back to hell with your flamethrower."

"Yes Boss." The Fury answered with a smile.

"The End and The Fear."

"Yes Boss?" The both answered.

"There is an overlook point that's lightly guarded about a half mile from the LIII base. I want you both to take out the guards there, secure the area, and make yourselves comfortable, because I will be requiring both your fine marksmanship skills to snipe the guards inside the base."

"Yes Boss."

"The Sorrow and I will sneak in and nab Clöβner." She said. "Once we have him, we will bring him back this spot where the B-17 is."

"How will we know you have him?" The Pain asked.

"Given everyone's skills the entire mission shouldn't take longer then 30 minutes." The Boss answered. "Once the soldiers are out of the base and The Sorrow and I sneak in, I fully expect The Fury and The Pain to being to pull back and head back here. The Fear and The End, you should see us come out with Clöβner from your vantage point; once you see us, you too, should begin to pull back. The only people that should be the last to arrive here are The Sorrow, myself, and Clöβner. Once everyone is assembled, we will take off and head back to England."

"Yes Boss." The all agreed.

"Well then gentlemen;" She said. "Tonight at sunset, Operation Cobra will commence fully. I expect everyone to do their best."

"You have our word." The Pain spoke for everyone.

"Very good." She responded. "Since we need to fear any enemy force patrolling the area, why don't we try to rest up."

Everyone agreed and got up from the fire to prepare their sleeping bags for a brief rest. This seemed like it was going to be an easy mission, but nothing could be taken for granted. The Nazi's were very sly and the situation could change at anytime. But The Boss was confident that everything would go according to plan and maybe with some luck, she could take down that arrogant bastard Ahren. That would fill her with so much pride.

Men like Ahren disgusted her. That one-sided thinking that women should be barefoot, pregnant, and serving a man, please. Most the scariest soldiers she knew were women. In fact, one of her first instructors at the Philosopher school was a woman. A very petite and proper lady named only Mar, but no matter how prim and proper she was, Mar fought with the heart and soul of a thousand men.

It was Mar who taught her how to take down your opponent without fear. She taught her how to assemble and disassemble any kind of weapon. She also taught her how to let go of the past and all her feelings. The Boss could still hear her voice in her mind clear as a sunny day, "_Lilith, if you don't let go of the past, you'll never survive a war. The past and future don't exist on the battlefield. It's the present you should be wary of. Who and what is around you right now should be all that occupy your mind, nothing else._"

As she situated her sleeping bag, The Boss lay down to sleep with a smile on her face. She hadn't thought about Mar in a very long time, but she owed Mar a great debt. She was one of the best instructors at the Philosopher school. It was because of her efforts she has the courage to face any situation.

"_Lilith._" Her father called to her. "_Lilith I see you hiding there. Aren't you supposed to be asleep?_"

Little Lilith tried to hide behind the threshold of the door, but it was no use her father had spotted her. Peeking out again from behind the threshold of the door, Lilith looked up at her father and smiled. Her father walked over to the door and took her by her hand and led her into the room.

"_I know should send you back upstairs, but since you're awake, I think you should meet everyone._" He said picking his four year old daughter up from the floor and carrying her his arms. "_Everyone this is the youngest member of the Wiseman's Committee, my daughter Lilith._"

All the strange looking adults in the room began to crowd around Lilith and her father. Frightened, she nuzzled her head into her father's shoulders.

"_Come on Lil._" He said reassuring her. "_There's nothing to be afraid of. These are all your father's friends._"

Lilith picked her head up from her father's shoulders and flashed those big blue eyes at her father's gentle face; looking at him, she instantly perked up. She never wanted to disappoint her father or cause him any unnecessary embarrassment, even at such a young age. With as much courage as she could gather, she said, "_Salutasions, my name is Lilith." _

Lilith's father couldn't help but smile, even though she couldn't yet pronounce "salutations" she made the effort to try. When she grew up she would be a proper young woman just like her mother was.

"_Good girl Lilith._" He whispered in her ear.

The Boss's blue eyes popped open. Another dream about her father, just like last night. This was beginning to get very strange. Why after all these years, was the thought of her father plaguing her dreams again? This didn't make any sense. All those feelings, all that guilt she had about not saving she thought she had put in the past and let go, just as Mar said she should.

Yawning, The Boss got up from her sleeping bag. Taking a quick look around, she saw that a few of the unit members were gone. It probably wasn't anything serious, they more then likely went to go forage for food. Taking a quick stretch the Boss began to walk over to the B-17 and she opened the cockpit door. Once inside, she saw the crew of the plane were peacefully sleeping on the floor or wherever they could get a free spot. Stepping over a few of them, The Boss walked over to a chest that held a few weapons.

Looking inside, she contemplated briefly on which ones she would use for tonight's mission. Most of the weapons were for long range fighting, but there were one or two that could be used for close-quarters fighting, such as the Sten gun or the Vickers machine gun. After some moments of internal debate, she choose the Sten gun. The magazine could be fed from left, which would far more easier on her forearm when she had to fire off a few rounds. Plus it dismantled easily, something that would come in extremely handy for a mission such as this.

Grabbing the Sten gun, The Boss closed the chest, stepped over the crewmen again, and then walked back outside. The Boss reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her watch. It was nearly two in the afternoon. It wasn't like her to sleep for so long. The initial flight here and meeting up with the contact must have left her more tired then she'd realized.

Sitting down on her sleeping bag, The Boss began to dismantle the sten gun to see how quickly she could take it apart. It didn't take much to totally break the weapon down, about ten seconds in all. Taking all the parts, she reassembled the gun in even less time it took for her to take it apart. Then she took it apart and reassembled it multiple times.

The Sorrow, who was watching her from his sleeping bag, was perplexed by her actions. It couldn't understand why she continually dismantled and reassembled her gun. Finally after about five minutes of watching her, he decided to question why.

"Boss?" He said softly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm preparing for tonight." She said not taking her eyes of the sten gun.

"By taking the gun apart?" He questioned.

"Yes." She said finally looking at him while continuing to take the gun apart and putting it back together. "If I can dismantle the sten gun it will make it much easier to conceal once inside the enemy base. And if I can put it together without complications or hesitating then I'll be able to aim, fire, and take the enemy out faster."

"But." He said staring at her astonished at the lightening speed at which she could break the weapon apart. "From the looks of things, you don't need to prepare you already know how to do it."

"Preparations are always necessary, especially on the battlefield." She said sternly. "It is always best to be ready for anything and you'll find a little practice will go a very long way."

She had put the gun back together in less then six seconds, that's not a lot of time at all. It was the best she could manage and with any luck, that would be enough time without getting anyone hurt or killed.

"Where did The Pain and The Fear run off to?" She questioned sitting the gun down next to her.

"I think they went to find some food for us."

"That should be no problem for The Fear." She said. "I don't know if you know this about, but his is a talented hunter."

"Really?" He said putting on his glasses so he could see her more clearly.

"Yes." She said. "In parts of South America his skills are legendary."

"Impressive." He answered softly.

"Can I ask you something Sorrow?"

"Yes Boss?"

"What exactly do you need glasses for?" She questioned. "Can you not see close range or far range?"

"I need them so I can see things far away." He said. "If something is not directly in front of my face then everything is blurry, but when I wear my glasses I can see far into the distance."

"But if something were to happen out in the battlefield…"

"I have ways around it." He said in a reassuring tone. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay." She said with a smile. "I am glad to hear that."

The Boss continued to smile at The Sorrow. He was a very nice man; so kind, gentle, and compassionate, nothing like the others in the unit. Maybe he would be the balance that this group of wayward mercenaries needed. He reminded her so much of her father, almost even to the way he looked and spoke. Her father had receding grey hair, as did The Sorrow. Her father also couldn't see distances and they both wore the same kind of glasses, with the brass wire frames. The only difference between them was her father was tall and very thin; The Sorrow was very tall yet very muscular despite his meek outward appearance.

The Sorrow didn't know what to do as The Boss stared at him with this sweet smile curved about her thin lips. It was good to see her smiling, because she was always so serious and stern. Less two minutes ago she was sitting beside him dismantling a gun with such a stern foreboding look about her face. But now he could see her gentle feminine side come out and it warmed his heart. The Boss was a very lovely woman.

"We're back!" The Fear said walking up from the nearby clearing.

"With plenty to eat!" The Pain added.

The Boss and The Sorrow broke they're gazes and got up to help The Fear and The Pain with the food they had gathered from their hunt. But while they were helping out, they're eyes would occasionally lock and they would shoot each other little gentle smiles. Yes, The Boss knew she was very lucky to have him in the unit.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The sun was starting to slip over the horizon as The Fear and The End made their ascent towards the high tower of the LIII compound. The sky was this amazing shade of red and orange, sorta like a God was lighting the magnificent fire in the heavens. There was just enough light for The Fear to see his two targets. It had been agreed between them that The Fear would take out the two guards patrolling the tower. The End's rifle would cause too much of a stir if he shot; a crossbow would be far quitter.

Taking careful aim, The Fear pointed his arrows at the first of the two hapless soldiers. Pulling the trigger of William Tell, the arrows sped off like tiny little silver streaks of lightening. The two soldiers were carefully surveying the landscape when one of them had caught a glimpse of something approaching, but before he could question what it was, the arrow struck the unlucky man right though the throat and he dropped instantly to the ground dead.

The other solder, hearing the sound of his fallen comrade turned to see what the problem was, when the second arrow caught him right through his right eye. At first he didn't drop instantly to the ground, he began to shriek in unimaginable pain, as the arrow hadn't penetrated though to his brain.

"Damn!" The Fear exclaimed as he fired off another arrow to quiet the screaming man.

This time his aim was dead on as he caught the soldier right in the Adam's apple with a poisoned arrow. The arrow ripped clear through his throat, leaving a fairly large cavernous hole in his neck, and took out the search light behind him. As he fell to the ground dead, they could hear the sound of two other soldiers coming to check on the distress cries.

The Fear put a new poisoned arrow into the William Tell and fired toward the heart of the first soldier. The aiming was accurate and hit the target right in the chest. From what he could see, the spider venom was taking a rapid affect on the man, as he instantly went into convulsions and died a short while later. The other soldier, who was now in a panic and starting to run towards the base, had to be dealt with immediately. So The End, steadied his hands, peered though his rifle scope and shot him right though the head. The unlucky man never stood a chance as the bullet from The End's rifle penetrated the back of his skull shot and out the front of his forehead like a cork out of a bottle.

"Great shooting old man." The Fear said walking over to The End.

"Same to you." The End replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, on the inside of the LIII base, several guards were patrolling, everything seemed on par tonight. There had been word given by Ahren that a few French resistance rebels would try to come and take the base down, but that wasn't until the morning and even then they were not a threat to the compound. Their weapons were primitive at best, so it was best to relax for tonight and deal with the situation with the rebels when it happened.

However, outside the front of the compound, The Pain and The Fury were beginning their approach to the entrance of the building. Walking very slowly, The Pain and The Fury scoped out the landscape. There were about eight soldiers out here, patrolling. Each soldier had a certain patch of area he was supposed to survey and did not veer from that path, which made this devastatingly easy. With a smile on their faces, The Pain and The Fury were ready to take action.

One of the soldiers was walking his patrol route, but paused for a second to adjust his boots. While he was making the necessary adjustments a rather large hornet buzzed past his face. Swatting it away, another zoomed past him.

"What is this?" The soldier questioned.

But before he realized it there was a gigantic black cloud of hornets all around him, as well as several members of the patrol unit. They were all being attacked brutally by these things. Hornets covered every square inch of all their bodies, the incredible pain of their stingers bearing into their flesh was horrendous. The guards squealed in agonizing pain as the bugs' stung eyes, eardrums, and other highly sensitive parts.

Hearing the screams of the patrol unit, several of the guards patrolling on the inside of the base came running out, that's when The Fury sprang into action. Walking up as close as he could, The Fury quickly pulled out the torch to his flamethrower, and took out the guards. Their cries, as the fire from the flamethrower melted their skin and baked their internal organs, were unholy. But The Fury took such delight in their screams. Seeing their suffering made his heart happy. They deserved to be cleansed in the fires of hell, a surging heat only he could deliver.

The inside of the base was now in a panic, they knew they were under attack. General Clöβner gave orders for the men to stand their ground and tighten patrol. The soldiers did as Clöβner ordered and went out to face the forces that dared come near the LIII complex. Clöβner sat down at his desk for a moment and tried to radio for the troops who were out at training to return back to the base immediately. However, there would be no help from them. The Boss's unit had gone though great lengths to see them all taking an eternal rest. None had been spared a gruesome demise.

The sounds of screams and gunfire filled the air as The Boss and The Sorrow walked up towards the back of the LIII compound. There were very few guards patrolling, but all three of them looked nervous. The Boss smiled, if they were this nervous taking them down would be a cinch.

"Are you ready Sorrow?" She asked turning to look at him.

When she looked at The Sorrow, he looked different somehow. Less like this meek and gentle man, but more ridged and tough. Also he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore which confused her, because he had just said he couldn't see well without them.

"The Sorrow are you okay?" She questioned.

"I'm fine Boss." The Sorrow answered curtly.

Hearing the sound of his voice sent a chill up her spine. This wasn't the man she knew as The Sorrow, but now wasn't the time to question what was going on. She had a mission to complete and fifteen minutes left to complete it in.

The Boss took out a rifle and prepared to shoot one of the three guards, when suddenly they began to drop like flies. Before the last one fell dead to the ground, The Boss saw the arrow sticking up from the man's throat, and she knew instantly it was The Fear's handy work.

"Boss." The End voice said to her over the radio. "We can see you from our vantage point and we thought you may need a hand."

"Thank you." She said softly. "And tell The Fear I said thank you as well."

"Rodger that." The End said kindly.

"We're going in to get Clöβner." She said. "Make sure any lingering targets…"

"They're already taken care of Boss." The End answered.

"Very good." She replied. "Then we're making our approach to the target."

The Boss turned off her radio and pulled out the sten gun, while The Sorrow pulled out his handgun. The Boss nodded as to him and they both carefully walked up to the back door, each pressing their backs against the wall before opening the door.

"Sorrow, I'll take point." She said. "I have the higher caliber gun so I can take out a group. I want you to keep me covered."

"Yes Boss."

The Boss, without a second's hesitation, kicked open the back door and made sure that everything on the inside was safe. From the looks of things, The Fear and The End had indeed taking care of the lingering guards. Bodies were lying motionless in a heap on this floor. Those who weren't riddled with bullet holes had arrows sticking up out of them. The floor was saturated with blood. It made it damn near impossible to walk without slipping and that thick rusty smell, the air was so blanketed with it, you could hardly inhale without your chest growing tighter and tighter.

The Boss cautiously continued to walk across the room heading slowly to the door leading to the next room. Everything around them was silent as the grave, except for the screams coming from outside the base. The silence was a little unsettling, this could be a trap and an entire group could be waiting on the opposite side to ambush them. The Boss and The Sorrow were coming towards the second door leading to the interior of the base.

Nodding to The Sorrow quickly as they pressed their backs to the wall. The Boss again, kicked the door opened, but this time instead of charging into the room, she waited a moment to see if someone would begin shooting at them. When nothing happened, The Boss came into the room and looked around, there was no one here. Just two dead soldiers, both shot through the head.

"Those are the stairs that lead downstairs." She said softly to The Sorrow. "That is more then likely where Clöβner is holding up. Are you ready?"

"Yes." He said sternly. "I am ready."

The Boss walked over carefully to wear the stairs were. Taking a very quick glance down the stairs, she saw there was a guard facing toward the stairs. Readying her sten gun, The Boss began to run down the stairs shooting and blasting at the enemy forces that were in her path. The Sorrow too, was taking out many of the guards. It astonished her how accurate his shooting was. Every time he hit someone it was with a kill shot.

This was one of the worst fire-fights The Boss had been in, in recent months. The area was so tight and there was no where to hide from the hale of bullets that whizzed past them. How neither of them were hit was beyond a miracle. The Boss checked her sten gun quickly to make sure she had enough ammo to take out the two guards that were in front of her, but she had only enough to take one down. After a quick mental debate, she took down the one that was toward the back and she ran up to the other guard, hitting him in the stomach and face with the butt of the sten gun, knocking him out cold.

The Sorrow looked at her, astonished at her raw courage, not to mention her lightening quick speed. With those two actions she had taken down the last of the guards and didn't get hurt doing it either. That was so amazing it was mind boggling. The Boss turned and walked toward The Sorrow with the happiest smile on her face.

"You are truly amazing Boss!" The Sorrow said softly.

Clöβner could hear the commotion outside his command post, so he prepared is gun. From the sound of things, it had to be a lot of rebel forces. Maybe Ahren was a traitor after all. It was rather suspicious of him to have to leave for Berlin after coming back from the rebel meeting. But the order for him to go to Berlin came directly from the Furor himself; there was no way that type of document could be forged. It didn't matter now. All that mattered is he had to defend himself against those who were coming for him.

The Boss and The Sorrow had finally come to the door of Clöβner's office. The Boss pulled out her hand gun and prepared for whatever appeared on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath in The Boss and The Sorrow both pressed their backs to each side of the door. The Boss kicked open the door and there they came face to face with General Heinrich Clöβner. Clöβner was standing by his desk, with his German pistol ready to fire.

"General Heinrich Clöβner." The Boss said speaking perfect German. "You are a prisoner of war. Release your weapon and come with me."

Clöβner realizing his captor was a woman did not remove his weapon, but he stood there with this smug look on his face.

"Again, release your weapon and come with me!"

But Clöβner did not flinch, so The Boss prepared to fire off a warning shot, when Clöβner fired his weapon first. Hearing the shot, The Sorrow came out and fired back at Clöβner hitting him in the shoulder. Swearing in German, Clöβner began to claps the trigger of his gun. The Boss saw his finger being to squeeze off the first round and that's when she took cover off to the side. Clöβner continued firing blindly until his gun ran out of ammunition. Thankfully, with that wild blitzkrieg kind of shooting he missed both The Sorrow and The Boss.

Once his gun was depleted of ammunition, The Boss ran over to Clöβner with her hand gun and wrestled him to the ground, but Clöβner would not give up. The two of them rolled around on the ground punching and kicking each other. The Sorrow thought about shooting Clöβner for a moment, but decided against it, because one wrong calculation and he could hit The Boss. The best thing he could do is wait a moment to see what would happen and if need be assist The Boss.

Arrogantly thinking he had the upper hand, Clöβner tried to taunt The Boss; "Have you had enough woman?" He said smugly to her.

"Not a chance." She retorted.

With what seemed like superhuman strength, The Boss threw Clöβner off of her and into the wall. Quickly getting up from the floor, The Boss crouched down and waited for Clöβner to get up and resume his attack, but throwing him into the wall must have knocked him unconscious.

"Are you all right Boss?" The Sorrow asked putting his hand gun back into its holster.

"Yes." She replied dusting herself off. "I'm fine."

She walked over to where Clöβner's motionless body lay and she checked his pulse. Thankfully he was still alive, but that shot from his shoulder, could become a problem if it became infected. They had to take him outta here and tend to his wound. Picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder as if he was a rag doll, The Boss carried Clöβner out of the room and up the stairs.

As they were exiting the compound, Clöβner began to wake up. The Sorrow saw that Clöβner was waking up so he brought it to The Boss's attention.

"Do me a favor and hit him with the butt of your gun." She said sternly. "I don't want him causing any trouble on the way back to the B-17."

The Sorrow took out his handgun and clubbed Clöβner on the back of the head as hard as he could and again Clöβner became unconscious.

"Thank you." She said feeling his body go limp on her shoulders.

The Fear and The End saw The Boss and the others come from the compound, so they began to pull back and head toward the airplane. It didn't take long for The Boss and The Sorrow to return back to the B-17 with Clöβner. Everyone one was accounted for, Clöβner was now in Allied Forces custody, and thanks to all their efforts their first mission as a unit was a resounding success. As The Boss pulled off into the pitch black night sky, she became overwhelmed at the pride she felt for leading this extraordinary group of men.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Two Weeks Later

Washington, DC

The turn trip back to Washington was long and arduous. General Clöβner was worse then a petulant child when it came to his outrageous demand. The conditions of his surrender were enough to make anyone sick to their stomach. He wanted to be exempt from any post war trials. He demanded round the clock bodyguards, for fear his life would be in jeopardy for betraying Hitler and the Nazi party. And all his meals had to be delivered at a specific time everyday or else he could become terribly ill and unwilling to cooperate with the Allied Powers.

It took all of The Boss's restrain not to choke Clöβner to death. His arrogant manor disgusted her beyond anything she'd ever known. The only reason she could show some restrain was that terrible Nazi bastard was providing the Allied Powers all kinds of information. Tactical positions, locations of weapon making plants, and where targets were being planned, all of it Clöβner knew. However useful he may have been, there was still something about Clöβner The Boss didn't trust. After all, it was because of Ahren, Beaumont, and Clöβner that they were sent into the middle of a trap.

According to General Clöβner, the original plan was to have the French Resistance group pair up with an American or British unit and decimate the entire group, but Clöβner's plans had failed miserably. Also, what happened to Beaumont and Ahren? Neither of their bodies were identified once the clean-up crew had descended upon the LIII compound the day after their departure. And in a few of the interrogations with Clöβner The Boss had attended, he never once mentioned anything about Ahren or Beaumont. Those questions plagued The Boss as she sat in the conference room waiting for word from the Generals.

Finally after ten minutes of waiting, General Simpson, General March, and General Paul entered the conference room all with smiles curved about their faces.

"We apologize for being so late Boss." General Paul said sitting down at the conference table.

"No need for apologies gentlemen." She said calmly.

"Well then." General Simpson said sitting down. "Since we're a little behind schedule let us skip the pleasantries and just begin."

"Fine." The Boss said kindly.

"General March," Simpson said politely. "If you will begin."

"Yes." He said also sitting down at the table. "First of all the Allied forces are very happy you and your unit were able to capture Clöβner. We had no idea it was a set-up, but we're glad you all made it out of that situation unharmed."

The Boss said nothing to that comment.

"With Clöβner's capture and the information he has provided for us we are now able to focus on specific areas of Nazi occupied locations instead of doing the wide scale campaigns as we have been."

"Has the information Clöβner has been giving you been accurate?" The Boss asked.

"Yes." General Simpson responded. "We just sent in the first unit two days ago to infiltrate a weapons making facility and they brought it down without major incident and minimal Allied casualties."

"Has Clöβner mentioned what happened to the two contacts that are unaccounted for?" The Boss asked.

"Who?" General Paul asked. "Ahren and Beaumont?"

"Yes." The Boss answered sternly. "I was told neither of their bodies has been found on the former LIII compound."

"Clöβner has not mentioned anything about either man to us?" Paul responded.

The Boss did not answer.

"However," General Paul said. "It is believed that they went AWOL shortly before the events at the compound took place."

"And why would they do that?" She questioned. "Unless they knew we were sent in to capture Clöβner."

"There is no way they could have known that." General Paul said sternly. "We were the only ones who had knowledge of that mission. There's no way it could have been a leak."

"If it will make you feel better Boss." General Simpson interjected. "After this meeting you can go and ask Clöβner yourself what happened to Ahern and Beaumont."

"I will do that General, thank you." She said with a smirk.

"Anything to please you Boss." Simpson replied.

"Now that that's settled, may we continue?" General March continued.

"Of course." The Boss said.

"Now then," March continued. "With Clöβner in our custody and with the information that he's been providing us, the Nazi and other Axis powers are now scrambling to reevaluate their situations and how they go about protecting their generals and commanders."

"Has security increased around bases and key members of the Nazi party since Clöβner's capture?" The Boss asked.

"According to several of our spies, security around Mussolini and Hitler have been increased ten fold." March said. "Several other leaders of the Nazi party have requested more security for both them and their families."

"The ripple affect as already begun I see." The Boss said.

"Yes." General Paul added. "All bases and complexes will probably being to go on high alert, which may adversely affect the mission we will send your unit on."

"I doubt it will." The Boss said confidently.

"In either case," March said. "We want you and the unit to be careful. The missions we will send you on from here on out will be highly classified. They are going to be either snatch missions, assignation missions, or you will be sent to destroy entire military installations. If you or any member of your unit are captured they will not be rescued."

"I understand." The Boss said sternly.

"Of course we will pay you and your unit handsomely for undertaking such dangerous missions." General Simpson said.

"In addition to your pay," General Paul added. "We will tend to your every need, be it on the battlefield or off. And weapons or equipment you or your men need, just ask us and we will procure it for you."

"You gentlemen spoil me." She said smugly.

"For you and your talented unit we'd do anything." General March said.

"Thank you." The Boss said graciously. "Do you have any idea when our next mission is to take place?"

"We haven't quite worked out the details of your next mission yet." General Simpson said. "However, while we work out the details we would like you and the unit to enjoy your leave."

"Is that all gentleman?" The Boss asked.

"For now," General March answered. "yes."

"Then if you will excuse me," The Boss said getting up from the chair she was sitting on. "I have a pressing matter to attend to."

The Boss exited the room and began to walk down the halls of the military base. She would call for the members of the unit later to discuss what the generals just told her, for now however, she was eager to speak to Clöβner. He had a lot of explaining to do about the whereabouts of Beaumont and Ahern.

Reaching into the pocket of the black vest she was wearing, The Boss grabbed for her cigar case and opened it up. Pulling out one of the thick brown cigars, she placed it in her mouth and then grabbed for the lighter which was in another vest pocket. Chomping off the butt of the cigar and spitting it off into the distance, The Boss lit the tip of the cigar as she finally walked to the door leading to the interrogation room. Before she walked in, she spoke with one of the guards and requested to have Clöβner brought immediately to the room. As the guard scurried off to retrieve Clöβner, The Boss walked into the room and made herself comfortable in one of the wooden chairs.

After a short while, the two guards brought in General Clöβner. The Boss looked at him with disgust. For someone who was supposed to be a prisoner of war, he appeared to be in the best physical condition of his life. Now had the shoe been on the other foot, she would be looking gaunt and emaciated, provided the Nazi's would have actually let her live that is. Clöβner was directed to a sit in a chair at the opposite end of the long wooden table away from The Boss. Once Clöβner was situated, the two guards stood in the darkened corners of the tiny room ready to intervene if Clöβner tried something.

"Its you." Clöβner said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "I have nothing to say to girl."

Already his tone was insolent and The Boss's temper and patience with Clöβner were thin, yet he insisted upon aggravating the situation further.

"Where's Beaumont and Ahren?" She asked sternly.

"I already said I had nothing to say to you girl." He said wickedly. "Just look at you; dressing, speaking, and acting like a man. Women like you are disgusting."

The Boss took a brief look at the clothes she was wearing. Yes it was true, she didn't wear dresses like normal women; she choose to wear tailor made suits only because they were much more comfortable then women's attire. However, after she glanced over her clothes, The Boss calmly got up from the chair she was sitting in and walked over to Clöβner and sat down on the edge of the table in front of him.

"If we were back in the Fatherland, I'd have you send to away to where we send all women like you." He hissed bitterly. "You need to be trained on how a woman should behave. Women are meant to serve men and bear children, nothing more."

The Boss didn't say anything to his disgusting remarks; she just smiled and reached calmly into her pants pocket. Before anyone could blink an eye, The Boss pulled out a small knife and held it to Clöβner's throat. The guards in the room were about to grab the Boss to stop her, when she shouted at them.

"Come any closer and I'll tear his throat out and deal with the consequences later!" She yelled to men.

The guards backed down and waited to see what would transpire.

"Now you listen to me." She said digging the sharp end of the knife into his throat. "You are going to answer my question. You are going to tell me where Beaumont and Ahren are, or so help me I will kill you right here, right now."

"I…" Clöβner hesitated for a moment. He could feel the knife begin to cut his tender flesh. "I don't know where they are."

"You're lying." She said digging the knife a little deeper into his skin, which caused a bruise to appear.

"I swear to you I don't know." He pleaded.

"I can tell you're lying to me." She said breaking his skin.

Clöβner screamed in pain as he felt the warm stickiness of blood begin to slowly ooze down his neck.

"Tell me where they are!" She demanded.

"All right." He said frantically. "Beaumont disappeared shortly after he reported back to me the night you infiltrated the compound."

"And Ahren!" She said not moving the knife an inch.

"I don't know where he is." He said.

"You bastard." She said digging the knife a little further into his neck, almost penetrating to his pulse.

"He was sent to Berlin a few hours before you came." Clöβner finally blurted out.

"By who's orders?" The Boss questioned.

"A letter came." He said trembling with fear. "A letter from the Furor himself. Ordering him to go to Berlin."

"For how long?" She asked.

"It didn't say." He answered frantically.

"Are you sure?" She said applying a little more pressure to the knife.

"Yes!" He half screamed. "I swear on my honor!"

The Boss pulled the knife out of Clöβner's neck and stepped away from him, while the guards went to see how badly he was hurt.

"You bitch!" Clöβner screamed putting his hands to where she had cut him. "Damn you."

The Boss said nothing. She was quite pleased with herself. She had the information she wanted. She was going to find Ahren and Beaumont and deal with them accordingly.

"It doesn't matter about either of those two jokers." Clöβner said. "There are far worse things that are going to happen to you American dogs."

"What did you say?" The Boss said turning to face Clöβner again.

"I said it doesn't matter." He said looking at her with a murderous glint in his eyes. "We are working on ways to take you and your allies down."

"How?" She questioned, finally taking the cigar out of her mouth.

Clöβner didn't answer.

"I said how?"

Clöβner still didn't answer her. He just attempted to get out of the wooden chair, but The Boss shoved him back down in the seat. Clöβner shot her another evil glare, but The Boss did not back down from him. She took her cigar and jammed it into the wound in his neck. Clöβner cried in terrible anguish as the cigar scorched his skin. The guards in the room were too horrified at The Boss's actions to try to stop her. Never before had they witnessed such cruelty.

"What do the Nazi's have planned?" She questioned not moving the cigar from his neck.

"The Vergeltung Flying Bomb!" He blurted out. "It's already in mass production."

"Vergeltung? Retribution!" She said pushing the cigar inside him deeper. "What the hell is that?"

"The F2G-76." Clöβner said with his body convulsing in pain. "Our newest weapon. It's an unmanned anti-aircraft monoplane."

"When will the Nazi's put it in deployment?" The Boss asked.

Clöβner's lifeless brown eyes began to roll back into his skill. He couldn't take such mind numbing pain, but The Boss wasn't about to let him get away that easily. Pulling the cigar out of his neck, The Boss punched Clöβner as hard as she could in the face to wake him up.

"Get up you bastard!" She said punching him again. "I said wake up!"

Finally the two guards stopped her. Clöβner was completely unconscious, there was nothing more anyone could do. Realizing that he was out cold, The Boss composed herself and put the cigar back in her mouth.

"Get him to the infirmary." She said walking towards the door. "In addition to the cut and burn, he should have a broken nose."

The two guards just looked at her with fear in both their eyes.

"Also make sure there's an interpreter nearby." She said opening the door. "I want anything he says in his sleep to be recorded."

The Boss walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Damn Clöβner for fainting. Well, at least now she knew about this new weapon and she could tell the generals. Whatever this thing is it had to be stopped. Those maniacs could not win this war; they had to be stopped at all costs.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Vienna, Virginia

Early October 1943

An entire year had passed since The Boss's unit had successfully captured Clöβner. Since that time the unit was granted the name the Cobra Unit, because of their swift, decisive, and devastating action. That name was also bestowed upon them because it was the name of their first mission and for the group it had much sentimental value. Over the past year, the Cobra Unit had been sent on dozens of highly covert operations. Each mission was more successful then the last; and resulted in no casualties on their side.

However, even the great Cobra Unit needed a few days to rest. After each mission was completed, The Cobra Unit had a three week leave to do whatever they wished. Most of that time they choose to continue training along side The Boss, but every once in a great while they would part ways and go off alone. This was one of those times when they had all agreed to part ways for a little while.

Their last mission had left everyone feeling extremely fatigued. It was a mission to destroy an enemy bomb making plant, in Southern Germany. While it was a successful mission, it was by no means an easy one. The factory itself was heavily fortified and the soldiers there were highly skilled. The battle for the factory was particularly bloody and a few of the unit members suffered minor gun shots wounds. Thankfully none of them were serious.

After a mission of that caliber, The Boss knew it was time for a much needed rest. As a favor, The Boss requested a very lengthy reprieve from missions and it was granted. As much as she loved being on the battlefield, she too needed to take a well deserved rest. There were times when she longed to sit and read silently or just relax without worrying about what would happen if she let her guard down.

It had been about two weeks since she and the rest of the Cobra Unit parted ways, but she still heard from them. They all sent her letters to keep in touch with her, especially The Sorrow. She would get letter from him everyday, telling her how he really missed the unit and missed her friendship.

Since the end of their first mission together, The Boss and The Sorrow had become this infamous pair. They always were the main two to infiltrate a building and come out on top, be it with a target or to make sure a stronghold was completely demolished. But beyond being great partners on the battlefield, they were great friends outside the battlefield as well. They brought smiles to each others face and never displeased one another. They shared everything, secrets, stories, everything. Their bond was something neither The Sorrow nor The Boss had ever experienced, but both enjoyed greatly.

Before walking into the parlor room, The Boss looked outside the front door window to the street outside. A terrible storm was passing though the area. Bolts of lightening danced in the dreary grey sky. Thunder exploded it seemed like every second and the rain came down in heavy sheets. It was so bad she could barely see past the front steps.

"Night not fit for man nor beast." She said walking away from the big brown door and into her parlor.

Turning on the radio The Boss sat down on her soft blue chair, placed her feet on the ottoman, and relaxed with the newspaper. Of course she was very interested in what was going on in the war. Just because she was on leave didn't mean she didn't have to stay informed. And from what she read, it seemed like the Allied forces were really striking hard at the Axis forces. It always filled her with pride when she read Allied forces were doing well. It reassured her that all the Cobra Unit's work was not done in vain.

While the music was playing in the background, there was a stern knock on The Boss's front door. The Boss put the newspaper down and got up to answer the door. When she opened it up, she saw The Sorrow standing outside in the pouring rain storm. She wasn't expecting to see him, but was happy he was here.

"Boss," He said softly with an unusual blank expression in his pale hazel eyes. "My father has been killed in battle."

The Boss brought him into the foyer of her house and removed his soaking wet coat. Hanging the coat on a nearby coat rack, she then escorted him into the living room and sat him down by the warm fireplace. She walked over to the drinks cabinet and pulled out her best bottle of brandy to warm him up.

"I am so terribly sorry Sashenka." She said pouring the brandy into a small glass. "Here drink this; it will make you feel better."

"Thank you Boss." He said taking the glass in his hand and taking a sip.

"When did it happen?" She said placing the bottle onto the coffee table then sitting down beside him.

"The letter just arrived today from his wife." He said sorrowfully. "But it happened about three weeks ago. The strange thing is I don't feel anything Boss. No sadness no hurt… I don't feel anything."

"Sashenka…" She said unable to find the words she needed to console him.

"I loved and admired my father." He said. "But we were never really all that close. He was the fifth in command for the Red Army and a very close personal friend of Joseph Stalin. He was a very strong and powerful man, respected by everyone one…"

The Boss said nothing, she just listened to him speak.

"I never thought I was worthy to be his son." He said. "I was always so fragile and weak. But my father refused to see me that way. He always would tell me it didn't matter if I was a strong as an ox or weak as newborn baby; I was his son and would always be is son. Strength never mattered to him."

"How is your mother holding up?" She asked him, trying to change the subject quickly.

"My mother is dead." He replied.

"But you said…"

"No, I said the letter arrived from is wife." Sashenka replied. "She is not my mother. My mother and father were never married. My mother was my father's mistress; I am technically a bastard."

"I'm sorry for assuming…"

"It's okay Boss." He said putting the glass down and getting up from the fire. "I shouldn't have come here to vex you with my problems…"

"Sashenka." She said trying to stop him from leaving. "You are not vexing me. I would like you to stay."

"I have inconvenienced you enough." He said. "I should go."

"Sashenka sit down." She said sternly. "I will let you know when your percents in my home has inconvenienced me. You may stay here for as long as you need to."

Sashenka looked at her and she had that stern look on her face. One that he had become very familiar with over the past year. But it was strange, seeing her look at him with that stern ridged face made him feel better. He knew in his present frame of mind he shouldn't be alone and it was very nice of The Boss to have him stay with her.

"Are you sure Boss?" He questioned timidly.

"Of course I'm sure." She answered. "Now please sit down, you're still freezing cold from being out in the rain."

The pair sat down back in front of the fireplace and silently listened to the music on the radio play. Hours had passed before they said anything to each other again, and when they did speak it was about happier times they had in their lives. Sashenka told her all about his life growing up. How his mother and father met during a Red Army rally.

Arina Mihailov was a famous psychic in Russia during the time of the great civil war. She was always big supporter of the Russian Army because they fought for the villagers and the workers, something the White Army never believed in. During a Red Army rally, she was asked to give a fortune to Joseph Stalin as well as several generals in the Red Army, and it was then she met General Yerik Trofimoff.

They were in instant match and quickly fell in love with each other even though General Yerik was already married. However that didn't stop Yerik or Arina from becoming lovers. They were an inseparable pair and a powerful military force. It was because of Arina's psychic powers many of the general's military campaigns against the White Army were so successful. A few brief months after they began to see each other Arina learned that she was pregnant and gave birth to Sashenka. He was the general's only child and the pride and joy of both his parents.

For the first few years of Sashenka's life, General Trofimoff had Arina and Sashenka living at his private residence on the outskirts of Stalingrad while the general continued with his military duties. When Sashenka turned four, it was discovered that he possessed the same psychic abilities as his mother. However in addition to being psychic, Sashenka had a remarkable ability to communicate with the dead. General Trofimoff sent the child to be tested so it could be determined how he possessed such abilities. All the tests run on the child were inconclusive; no one could understand where he or his mother received such strange powers.

At the age of seven, Sashenka retuned to Stalingrad and his parents who were delighted to see him once more. But the joyful reunion would not last long. Two years later, Arina came down with a devastating fever and passed away shortly before Sashenka's ninth birthday. The general was grief stricken by the loss of his beloved Arina, but vowed to care for his son. Sashenka on the other hand, not wanting to burden his father or cause stress between the general and his wife decided to live with his grandmother on a farm far away from Stalingrad.

"I loved living on that farm." He said with a smile on his face. "I learned at lot from my grandmother."

"It sounds so wonderful." The Boss said smiling brightly. "So peaceful and full beauty."

"It really was peaceful in those days." He said. "We were one of the few villages that weren't ravaged by the civil war. And what made it ever better was I grew up surrounded by my cousins and many friends. Those were very joyous times."

The Boss smiled. It felt good to hear happy stories about his family and childhood. Children should have a happy childhood, especially during times of war and hardship.

"You know Boss." He said turning from the fireplace to her look at her. "You remind me of my grandmother. She was also a very stern ridged woman, but she was also very beautiful."

"Come on." She said turning away from his gaze.

"But you are beautiful Boss." He said continuing to look at her. "You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever known."

The Boss was about to get up and exit the room when she felt Sashenka grab her hand and stop her.

"I." He paused. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you Boss."

"You didn't embarrass me." She said. "It's just that no one has ever said…"

She stopped herself from saying what was on her mind. She couldn't believe that she was about to tell him that no one had ever thought of her has beautiful before. Everyone always thought of her as this rough and tumble soldier. It was like no one had ever considered her a beautiful woman before, which suited her just fine. Or so she thought until tonight.

"Said what Boss?" He said standing up, not letting go of her hand. "No one has ever said you were beautiful before?"

"Good night Sashenka." She said slipping her hand out of his and exiting the room.

"Boss, wait!" He said sternly.

The Boss stopped and turned to look at Sashenka. He walked over to her and lifted her chin so their eyes could meet. Her blue eyes looked up into his soft pale hazel eyes… There was something in his eyes tonight, something that she had never seen before, but she was uncertain what it was but it intrigued her.

"Thank you Boss." He said brushing back her soft light brown hair to whisper softly in her ear.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For being a good friend." He said softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Sashenka…"

Before she could finish her thought Sashenka leaned over and kissed The Boss gently on the lips. For the first time in her 19 years of life, she was absolutely shocked and did not know what to do. No man had ever dared to make even a casual advance toward her, yet Sashenka, in this brazen display actually kissed her. Unsure of what to do, The Boss stood there motionless, but did not stop him. This kiss felt kind of nice and for the first time in many years, she felt peaceful and happy. The Boss finally began to relax and let instinct take over. Her eyes closed and she held on to Sashenka tightly.

Finally the kiss ended. When it was over, the both took a small step back from each other and sorta stared blankly at each other. Neither was certain of what to do next. This was very unorthodox indeed. The Boss was his friend and more importantly his commanding officer; he shouldn't be making passes at her. But for some strange reason, he couldn't help himself. Tonight she seemed so gentle and feminine as she listened to the stories of his family and childhood. There was something about her tonight that just urged him to kiss her.

"I'd better go." He said sounding slightly embarrassed.

Sashenka turned and walked out of the parlor. Grabbing his still soggy coat from the coat rack he reached for the door and began to open it.

"Sashenka wait." The Boss said walking over to him. "Sashenka I…"

"You don't have to say anything Boss." He said looking at her. "My actions tonight were completely inappropriate. If you wish to dismiss me from the unit…"

"I'm not going to dismiss you." She said sternly. "There's no need to be so dramatic."

"Thank you Boss." He said with a sigh of relief.

"Sashenka please don't go." She said.

Sashenka reached out his hand and touched her on the cheek. Looking at her face, he saw an expression he had never seen The Boss have before. He couldn't quite explain what this look was, but it was extremely feminine and quite beautiful. Something in her soft blue eyes overwhelmed him and he kissed her again, but this time he could feel her kiss him back. His heart soared. When the kiss ended Sashenka looked into her lovely blue eyes again and he smiled.

"Boss…" He said breathlessly. "I love you."

Before she could respond to his declaration, Sashenka turned and walked out the door. The Boss watched him walk down the front stairs and down the rainy streets. She didn't know what to do, what to think or how to feel. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. For the first time ever, The Boss was at a complete loss.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

About a week and a half had passed since the night Sashenka had told The Boss he loved her. Since then, she hadn't heard a word from him, nothing at all and she was beginning to worry. Their leave would be over soon and the generals had just given her their latest assignment. They had roughly a week to train and prepare before departing to Germany for the next mission.

But deep down that wasn't the real reason she was worried about Sashenka. She knew he would never abandon the unit. It was the fact that since that night no letters had come from him. No contact was made with him at all. His announcement that he loved her must have really embarrassed him, so much so that he couldn't even write to her. He should know by now that he didn't have anything to be ashamed of. If he was in love with her, then she could accept it. There wasn't anything wrong with him being in love with her, was there?

"Damn it!" She exclaimed pulling herself out of bed.

Pulling off her pajamas and dashing off into the bathroom, The Boss turned on the shower and waited for the water to become warm before she climb in. Letting the hot water run all over her body, she leaned against the wall and sighed. Why did things become complicated all of a sudden?

"I can't have feelings for him." She said to herself. "It's just not right…"

_But why can't I have feelings for him. _She thought. _He is my friend my comrade. But so are the others? Yet with Sashenka it feels different. When he's near, I become a different person. When we're alone I feel peaceful and safe. I'm never like that with anyone else. Maybe I am in lov…_

She stopped herself from her current line of thinking.

_Don't be foolish Lilith._ She thought._ You can't be in love, not with him or anyone. It's not something you've been trained to do. _

About an hour later, The Boss found herself walking up the stairs of the apartment building Sashenka lived in. This building was not too far from where she lived, which perplexed her terribly. Why would he write her letters daily if he lived so close to her? The Boss shrugged off the question and continued up the creaky wooden stairs.

This building was very old and very depressing. Even though it was a bright sunny day outside, the stairwell was plastered in near darkness. The wood seemed to shriek in pain as she climbed each step. The sound of babies crying and men yelling could be heard throughout the building. This was such a paradox from the serene farm Sashenka described to her. Finally she had come to number 23, Sashenka's apartment. Knocking on the door firmly, she waited for him to answer.

"Yes." He said coming to the door speaking Russian. "Can I help you?"

The Boss decided not to answer him, so she knocked on the door again, when he opened the door he was surprised to see The Boss, standing there.

"Oh Boss." He said adjusting his glasses. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"I know." She said.

"Please." He said politely. "Come in."

The Boss walked into his apartment and looked around. His apartment was the complete opposite of the depressing void outside his door. The sunlight poured though his front windows and brightened the entire room. Soft music played on the gramophone as the white lace curtains swayed softly in the autumn breeze. Everything here was so warm and peaceful, it truly amazed The Boss.

"I wasn't expecting visitors today Boss." He said closing the door and walking over to her. "That's why I'm not properly dressed."

The Boss looked at Sashenka who was attired in his undershirt, suspenders, and pants. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment while I put on a shirt…"

"You don't need to." She said almost apologetically. "After all, I was the one who came here unannounced."

"What brings you here to see me?" He questioned sitting down at the small dinner table.

"I haven't heard from you in awhile?" She said sternly. "I was starting to worry about you."

"Oh." He said softly. "I… I have been a little pre-occupied lately."

"It's not anything I can help you with, is it?" She asked.

"No." He said softly. "I've been trying to deal with the death of my father. Also I have been trying to contact the general's wife. To see if there is anything she needed now that my father is gone."

"I see." The Boss said. "Have you been able to contact her?"

"Yes." He answered. "She sent me a telegram a few days ago. She seems to be bearing up well under the circumstances. And she says there isn't anything she needs, but thanks me for the kind gesture."

"That was very kind of her." The Boss said softly.

"I'm sorry for making you worry Boss." Sashenka said softly.

"It's okay." She said compassionately. "Really it is Sashenka. Well, as long as you're all right, I'd better go."

The Boss turned and walked to the door, but before she could open it, Sashenka stopped her.

"About that night Boss…" He broke off. "I want to apologize. My actions were inexcusable."

"There's no need for an apology." She said turning around to face him.

"I don't know what came over me that night." He said standing up and walking over to her. "I just… I couldn't help myself. It was wrong of me and I want apologize."

"I told you before." The Boss said firmly. "You don't need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. There was no damage done. Now let it rest."

Sashenka looked at The Boss with that same unknown expression that was in his eyes that night they first kissed. She still couldn't pin point what that glance was, but she loved seeing it again.

"Boss," He said taking her hand. "You are truly the best friend I've ever had. I feel as though I don't deserve your friendship."

"I wish you would stop putting yourself down so much." She said sternly. "Why must you always think you're not good or worthy enough?"

He couldn't answer her.

"Sashenka," She said staring deeply into his sorrowful hazel eyes. "You have to have more faith in yourself, in your abilities. If you don't then you're absolutely right, you won't be worthy of my friendship."

"You're right Boss." He said. "I will have more faith in myself."

The Boss smiled at him and that's when he saw that same beautiful feminine expression she had that night. His heart felt again felt overwhelmed.

"That's what I want to hear Sashenka." She said touching his sweet face with her one free hand.

The Boss turned to leave, but Sashenka wouldn't let go of her hand. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted to tell her again how he loved her and how much he loved her, but the words wouldn't come. His mouth was open, but he just couldn't speak no matter how much he tried.

"What's wrong?" She said turning around to look at him.

Since he couldn't say what he was thinking and feeling, Sashenka pulled The Boss close to him and kissed her passionately on the mouth. Again, she was shocked, but this time she instantly responded to his kiss. However, this kiss was far different from the one a few nights ago. She didn't quite understand why this one felt so different, but she liked it, very much.

Once the kiss ended, they both paused and panted for breath. They're eyes never once stayed away from each other. Once they caught their breath, they resumed kissing. Each held the other one tightly, as if there was going to be this force that threatened rip them apart. Finally, Sashenka's large hands slipped down The Boss's back and down her slender waist. Her body quivered as his hands traced her lovely frame.

"Sashenka…" The Boss whispered breathlessly in-between many happy passionate kisses.

"Boss…" He said in the same tone. "I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul…"

The Boss pause a moment and looked into his eyes. They were so earnest and sincere. She reached up and touched his soft face and answered, "I love you too Sashenka."

Sashenka's eyes brightened and his heart felt as though it was going to burst. If he hadn't of heard her say it with his own ears he would have never believed it. The Boss loved him as much as he loved her. As much as he tried to fight it, tears began to stream softly down his checks. Seeing this, The Boss lifted up his glasses and wiped them away. Quickly composing himself, Sashenka smiled and began to kiss her once more.

Kissing softly, the pair gradually made their way over to Sashenka's bed. Sashenka slowly took off The Boss's vest threw it onto the floor. Then he carefully unzipped her pants as he placed her gently onto the squeaky mattress. The Boss looked up at Sashenka as he undressed her. There was unusual childlike and innocent in her eyes right now. It was a look he had never seen on her face not in the entire year they had known each other. It was a look which caused him to hesitate.

For an all too brief moment, he wondered if they should go though with this. Yes they loved each other, but is this next step the right thing to do? From the looks of things, The Boss didn't seem to mind. She put up no argument or indication that she wished him to stop, so maybe this was want she wanted as well. Sashenka looked at her and smiled. She couldn't help but smile back at him as she touched his warm face. It was with that simple gesture he completely understood, yes, this was what she wanted and now nothing was going to stop him.

Sashenka removed his suspenders, unbuckled his pants, and took off his undershirt. The Boss looked at him trying to cover over her embarrassment. She actually had never really seen an undressed man so close up before.

A few times in her early training years when she had to train with the other boys in the Philosophers' School she occasionally caught a glimpse of them undressing or showering. Then at times while she was on a mission with the Cobra's she would accidentally stumble on one of them bathing in a stream or relieving themselves in a nearby bush. But this was far different and she couldn't explain why; she just knew that this was much different then anything she had ever experienced before.

Climbing into bed and on top of The Boss, Sashenka pressed his entire weight on to her body as he kissed her gently on the lips. His large hands tenderly made their way to her white cotton shirt, as he slowly began to remove each button. The Boss's soft blue eyes looked up at Sashenka while her entire body was quivering, but she couldn't tell if she was quivering from fear or quivering from something else.

The Boss looked up at Sashenka as he unloosened the final button and her face turned a very mild shade of pink. Looking down at her, Sashenka was shocked to see the great Boss, this infamous tough as nails soldier was actually blushing, even if it was hardly noticeable. Kissing her lips softly as if to tell her he would be gentle with her; The Boss closed her eyes and waited for the next step to begin.

"Boss…" Sashenka said tenderly as he prepared to enter her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She whispered back to him.

The tender music that was playing so softly on the gramophone had come to an end, but neither The Boss nor Sashenka heard the record stop. They were too busy enjoying the gentle music that they made with each other to notice such a trivial thing…


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The bright blinding rays of the autumn sun had long since slipped over the horizon when The Boss woke up from her slumber. Night time had once again blanketed everything in darkness. Taking a look around Sashenka's apartment for a clock, The Boss sat up in bed and saw the clock on the mantel. It was about ten at night, she hadn't planned on being here with Sashenka all day. Then she smiled and thought she hadn't planned on losing her virginity today either.

_The world is just full of surprises._ She thought.

Looking over at Sashenka, who was sleeping soundlessly next to her, The Boss smiled. Sashenka was such a wonderful man, very gentle and kind to everyone he met. His heart and mind are so full of warmth and tenderness; she could scarcely imagine life without him anymore. But falling in love with one of her comrades… There was something about that which didn't seem right about it.

After all, once they left here and resumed training he would go back to being her comrade, not her lover. They were still going to be partners on the battlefield and nothing was going to change that. Not their personal feelings for each other, not what they shared here tonight, not anything. Once they returned to the battlefield nothing mattered to her, except completing the mission and returning home alive. Having romantic feelings about him may pepper everything she's worked so hard for.

For the time being none of that mattered. She was quite content just gazing at his soft face as he slept peacefully. Suddenly Sashenka's pale hazel eyes opened up as if he was startled by something.

"Good evening." The Boss said softly to him.

"Good evening Boss." He said sitting up against the metal headboard.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "You seem like you just had a bad dream."

Sashenka chuckled, "I wouldn't say it was a bad dream, just a bit of an eerie dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"So long as you don't mind hearing about it." He answered back.

"Not in the least." The Boss responded. "By all means, tell me."

"Ever since I was three years old," Sashenka began. "I have had the same dream every night. It is the dream of the day I die."

The Boss said nothing.

"I'm in the beautiful forest surrounded by lush green trees, a beautiful raging river, and bright sunlight engulfs me as I wait for the one who is sent to kill me." He says calmly. "Finally the one who kills me comes. We talk and they insist they cannot kill me, but I ask them too and they finally give into my request. When the bang happens that's usually when I wake up, which is what you just saw."

"I see." The Boss said calmly. "Doesn't it bother you that you know what will happen when you die?"

"When I was a child it use to frighten me." He said looking away from her gaze. "But as I became older it doesn't frighten me anymore. In fact I consider it quite a comfort."

The Boss said nothing to that.

"May I ask you a question Boss?" He asked.

"It's only fair." She answered. "Since I asked about your dream."

"Why didn't you tell me you were a virgin?" He asked.

The Boss smirked very smugly but answered, "Because I didn't want you to make a big deal out of it."

"But Boss..." Sashenka said.

"Whatever you're going to say Sashenka just forget it." She said sternly. "I wanted you to make love to me. If I hadn't you wouldn't be alive right now to debate it."

"I supposed I wouldn't be." He said softly.

"Sashenka," She said touching his cheek softly. "I love you; I couldn't ask for a better man."

Sashenka looked into her blue eyes and his heart began to swell again. He knew she was serious when she said she loved him. Even though he couldn't say it right now, he knew that he couldn't ask for a more caring and loving woman then The Boss.

Leaning over, Sashenka kissed The Boss and she instantly responded. The pair slipped back down onto the mattress and back under the covers. There desire for each other once again overwhelmed them and neither would be content to leave the bed until their desires were satiated.

A week had gone by when The Boss and Sashenka finally parted ways. As much as both of them did not want to leave the sanctity of Sashenka's bed, The Boss had lots of work that had to be done before the next mission, which was in less then two weeks. By now, the three generals were hysterically searching for her. It wouldn't surprise her if they had an all points bulletin out on her.

As she walked up to the door of her house, she saw a black Chrysler Windsor, sitting outside the front of her house. She knew it had to belong to General Paul. Ignoring the car, she pulled her house keys out of her pants pocket, The Boss walked up to the massive brown door and stuck the key inside. As she did so, she heard the Windsor car door slam shut. Turning to see who was trying to sneak up behind her, she saw General Paul walking up toward her.

"Hello General." She said innocently. "Nice weather we're having today is it not?"

"Don't play coy Boss." He said angrily. "Where the hell have you been all week. We were worried sick."

"I was away." She answered calmly.

"Away where?" He questioned.

"In the country." She answered.

"Yeah," He retorted. "What country would that have been?"

"Are you going to stand here and interrogate me?" She said retaining her calm manor as she opened the door to her home. "Or are you going to tell me what the hell you're doing here?"

General Paul walked into The Boss's house without even so much as an excuse me.

"Gee," She said half under her breath. "Come in and make yourself at home."

"I came here because we have an urgent mission we would like the Cobra Unit to go on." General Paul said.

"What kind of mission?"

"A mission to find and destroy the largest V-1 manufacturing plant in Germany." He said.

The Boss said nothing.

"This will be a join venture with Operation Crossbow being conducted by Winston Churchill." General Paul continued.

"When will we be needed?" The Boss asked.

"Gather your men tonight." He said walking to the front door. "We will give you 24 hours to prepare, and then you will depart for Peenemünde, Germany the day after."

General Paul opened her massive brown door and began to walk outside, but before he closed the door behind him, he turned and looked at The Boss, who never once changed her calm facial expression.

"Next time you decide to pull a disappearing act," He said coolly. "Please make sure you let us know nothing has happened to you. We are still in a war and we would hate to loose our most prized soldier. Good day Boss."

General Paul closed the door behind himself, as The Boss rolled her eyes.

_Damn it, I have to report my every move to them now too?_ She though angrily. _Why don't I just tell them what time I wipe my ass as well._

Well now wasn't the time to get bitter. She didn't have a lot of time to group the rest of the Cobra's together before they had to depart for Germany. This entire mission must have been in the works the entire time she was with Sashenka and it must have been serious if they were going to be going in with the British troops. In any event, there was no time to waste tonight she and the rest of the Cobra Unit would meet up and do a very brief training exercise before heading off on this latest mission.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Forty-Eight Hours Later

Peenemünde, Germany

The Cobra Unit was sitting quietly by the campfire with a few members of the British Special Operations Executive. At first The Boss was a little apprehensive about joining forces with another unit. After all, her unit had done just fine without any support at all. But after a few of her initial reservations were quelled, she warmed up to the idea of being with the SOE.

The Special Operations Executive, much like her own unit was trying new innovative ways of taking down the Nazi forces. They too had a very high success rate with little to no causalities. And her most favorite thing about this group, they weren't afraid to take orders from a woman. They all very much respected and sought her opinion from the second they met her.

Another very good thing about this group they got along well with the members of her unit. Normally the men in the Cobra Unit were ones to get to friendly with another unit, but for some reason they couldn't help but become sociable around them. During the day, The Fear and two others went hunting for food, and their mission was an overwhelming success. They had come back with a bountiful feast of rabbits, quail, and duck. Meanwhile, a few other men had gone off with The End to learn from his years of experience in sniping techniques, while the others sat and listened to all he had to teach. The day's events were very joyful, but now it was time for both units to settle down and get some much needed rest before tomorrow's difficult mission.

According to The Sorrow's reconnaissance report, the Peenemünde compound was the most fortified structure in all of Germany. Fifty guards were on constant patrol outside compound. They were armed with MP38 sub-machine guns as well as equipped with two Nebelwerfer anti-tank guns. If the guards patrolling the area used the Nebelwerfer against them, both units would be decimated in an instant. There would be nothing they could do against two anti-tank guns.

However, The Sorrow's report wasn't all bleak, the outside of the compound may have been heavily guarded, but the inside was virtually devoid of any enemy personal. Inside was full of nothing but scientist, workers, and minimal ground support that carried handguns as opposed to the sub-machine guns the guards outside carried. The Boss had a plan to take down the guards and secure the perimeter so the Special Operations Executive could come in and raze the compound. With all the plans for tomorrow's attack in place, both units slept bundled up in their sleeping bags.

Sometime during the very early morning hours, The Fear was struck with a sudden need to empty his bladder. Taking a short walk past the peacefully sleeping members of the two units, he walked until he came to a secluded patch of bushes. As he proceeded, he could hear the sound of two people whispering silently to each other. Quickly finishing up, straightened up his uniform before investigating the silent chatter. Taking a few steps toward a nearby tree, he unhinged his shoulder blades and quickly climbed up the tree to get a better view.

Surveying the land he finally got a good view of where the whispers were coming from and who was talking. Thankfully it was just The Boss and The Sorrow. Realizing that there was nothing to be alarmed about, The Fear began to climb down the tree, when he saw The Sorrow kiss The Boss passionately on the lips.

His eyes widened ten fold and his jaw dropped as he saw the pair kissing and embracing each other. If he hadn't of see it with his own eyes he would have never believed it. The Boss and The Sorrow! This couldn't be right. For a moment he thought maybe he was dreaming. That had to be the answer. The Boss would never let anyone get close to her, so this just had to be a dream. But the blinding pain he felt from unhinging his limbs was no dream. It was the only thing that kept him bound to reality right now.

Shocked into silence, The Fear climbed down the tree and placed his shoulder blades back in their sockets. Walking back to the camp and nestling himself back into his sleeping bag, The Fear just shook his head in disbelief. The Boss and The Sorrow, kissing? With passion! Quite honestly he didn't think either of them had those feeling inside them, but as The Boss always says, on the battlefield anything is possible.

The next morning, all the troops were packing up the campground and gearing up for the demolition mission. Tanks roared to life, as the dust kicked up from the treads it blanketed the campground in a fine yellow mist. Soldiers prepared their weapons and equipment for what could be a potentially long and deadly battle. The entire ground was bustling with pre-mission excitement and adrenalin. As the members of the Cobra unit were packing up, The Fear kept looking at The Sorrow with this strange look. It still perplexed him, even hours after he saw them in a warm embrace. How could The Boss and The Sorrow be together romantically? Sometime before the mission began, he had to find out the answer.

Continuing to get everything the needed together, The Boss took a moment to pull the Cobra unit aside and give them a last minute pep talk.

"Okay gentleman." She said sternly. "This is going to be possibly the most dangerous mission we've ever been sent on, but I know we'll be able to aid in taking down plant. Since we are taking the front position, it's vital that you all pay especially close attention to your surroundings. Don't take anything for grant it, because I don't trust the Nazi's they are cunning, but we are even more sly then they are. After all, we are the Cobra Unit. I expect nothing but professionalism out there."

"Yes Boss." The all agreed.

"I know all of you will give me your best." She said with a smile. "Now, let's take them down!"

The group broke from their huddle and finished up with any final preparations they may have had. While the others were getting ready The Fear walked over to The Sorrow. Now was a good opportunity to discuss what he saw between he and The Boss.

"Yes." The Sorrow said gently. "What is it The Fear?"

"I have something I've been wanting to speak to you about."

The Sorrow didn't answer.

"Would you mind stepping this way?" He said walking a few yards away from the other troops.

"No." The Sorrow said following him.

When they were a fairly safe distance away from the others, The Fear began to speak.

"This morning I saw you and The Boss together."

The Sorrow did not say anything; he just waited for The Fear to continue.

"I saw you two kissing." The Fear finished.

"I see." The Sorrow said almost inaudibly.

"It's been bothering me all morning." He said. "I know it's none of my concern, but I just can't help but worry this will interfere with our unit."

"Don't worry." The Sorrow reassured. "Our personal relationship will not interfere with the unit."

"How do I know that for certain?" The Fear asked skeptically.

"You just have to trust me." He said sternly. "Besides, The Boss is hardly the kind of woman who would let her personal feelings impede a mission."

The both turned and looked back toward the camp and their eyes focused on The Boss who was strapping her sten gun to her back. As The Fear looked at her, he knew The Sorrow was absolutely right. She had the same happy, yet determined face she always had before a mission. She didn't appear to have anything else on her mind other then completing the mission without fail.

"I suppose you're right." The Fear said turning his attention back to The Sorrow.

"I…" The Sorrow said softly. "I have a deep affection for The Boss, but I would never stop her from completing her mission. Even at the risk of my own life."

"I understand." The Fear said. "And listen, you're secret is safe with me. I'll carry it to my grave."

"Thank you The Fear." The Sorrow said graciously.

"I have to admit," The Fear said. "I was very shocked when I saw you both. I didn't think The Boss was the kind of woman who liked men."

"The Sorrow!" The Boss shouted seeing them calmly talking in the distance. "The Fear! Come on you two stop socializing, we're getting ready to pull out!"

"Coming." They both answered in unison.

"In any case," The Fear said starting to walk back towards the others. "Take care of The Boss. I can tell you love her more then you care to admit."

The Sorrow knew The Fear spoke the truth. He did love The Boss more then he let on, but he didn't want their outside romance to cause any discourse between the unit. The Cobras were like a family and for a The Fear and The Pain it was the only family they had ever known. Both of them were abandon by their parents and they were forced to live a lonely solitary life until now. If something happened between he and The Boss, he would never have it impact the unit to the point of their breaking up. Walking back toward the camp The Sorrow prepared his weapon for battle as both units headed in the direction of the Peenemünde compound.

The sun blazed brightly in the mid-autumn sky as the Cobra unit made their slow ascent to the Peenemünde V-1 plant. It was just as The Sorrow said, a very large and heavily guarded on all sides. The only side that wasn't guarded was the rear of the facility which was propped up by a large mountain. Looking through her binoculars, The Boss saw how many guards patrolled the parameter. From the looks of things it didn't appear to be fifty of them, but there could be other's spread out around the entire complex.

"There appears to be twelve men guarding each side of the compound." She whispered softly. "How many did you say there were in all The Sorrow?"

"Fifty." He answered softly.

"Hm?" She said looking back into her binoculars. "Well, 12x4 48, but where are the other two guards?"

"Standing at the ready behind the Nebelwerfer." He answered.

The Boss looked around the complex to see if she could spot the two anti-tank Nebelwerfer's. After a short glance she saw the first one, which was pointing towards the northwest forest and it did indeed have a single soldier waiting to fire. Then she looked around and saw the other one, which was facing in their general direction. If that man had even the slightest inclination there was going to be an assault, he would most definitely fire a few rounds without hesitation.

"I see them both." She said taking down the binoculars. "Okay, The Pain I'll need you and your hornets to take the men at the Nebelwerfer's down. No doubt more guards will come to help them, when they do, I want you The End and you The Fear to cut them down. By that point they will know they are under attack, and we will take on the remaining guards. Whatever you all do, I want to make sure they don't get a chance to use those Nebelwerfer's, understood."

"Yes Boss." They all agreed softly.

"We only have fifteen minutes before the SOE arrive." She said looking at her watch. "So let's commence the operation."

Crawling on his belly, The Pain slowly made his way to where the first Nebelwerfer anti-tank cannon sat. Once he got as close as he could without being spotted, he sent out the first swarm of hornets, which instantly covered the helpless guard. As soon as they heard the unlucky man's screams of agony, three of the guards went to assist him, but were also being stung by The Pain's hornets.

The Boss looked through the binoculars again and saw that there were still a lot of men patrolling around the compound and now the commanding officers were no doubt commanding them to tighten up security.

"The End." She said softly.

"Yes Boss." He said.

"Can you see the commanding officer from your current position?" She asked.

He paused a second and peered through his rife scope to get a fix on where there commanders were. Once he had them in his sights he answered her, "Yes Boss I see them."

"Take them down."

The End got a fix on the first commander and fired a deadly shot right through his skull. Blood and bits of brain splattered all over the body of the young soldier who he was giving instructions too. The young man's blue eyes widened with fear. It was evident he didn't know what to do, but before he had the chance to contemplate his actions, a bright silver arrow struck the poor young man through heart and he fell to the ground in a heap.

The Nazi guards were now well aware they were being attacked and they began firing blindly towards the woods. The Boss and the other members of the Cobra unit ducked for cover as the bullets whizzed past them. While they were incapacitated for the moment, the Nazi's began to turn the Nebelwerfer that was facing the northwest forest in their direction.

"Shit!" The Boss exclaimed. "They're preparing the other Nebelwerfer, we'll have to attack."

The Boss pulled out her sten gun and began to fire back at the Nazi forces. The Pain crawled back to the unit and pulled out his Tommy gun to assist The Boss in cutting down the patrolling soldiers.

"The End and The Fear." She said. "If you can, try to take out the man working the Nebelwerfer."

Both The End and The Fear turned their attentions from their targets to the men working the Nebelwerfer. The Nazi's were trying their hardest to avoid the fire while trying to load each of the six massive rockets into the chamber of the cannon. Focusing intently, The End focused on one of the men and fired a shot that penetrated though his neck. The other's tried to carry on, but they were no match for The End and The Fear who cut though them quickly, sparing no one who dared to go near the enormous cannon.

"The Sorrow." She commanded as she continued to fire at the remaining men. "Take a grenade and destroy the Nebelwerfer."

"Yes Boss." He said sternly.

Hearing that stern voice The Boss briefly turned her attentions away from her shooting and to The Sorrow, who once again wasn't wearing his glasses and his this really stern frightening look about his face. She couldn't help but grimace, because she knew he had coaxed another dead soldier into himself so he could use their abilities. It was a trait she hated to see him use. However now wasn't the time to contemplate his actions, she had to focus on the mission. She would discuss it with him at another time.

Turning her attentions back to firing, The Boss took out three soldiers, while The Sorrow took a grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it at the Nebelwerfer. Once the bomb reached its target, a bright flash of light, brighter then the sun's rays, danced through the air and exploded the Nebelwerfer. The men who were running up to take on the unknown enemies that dared disrupt the compound were also caught in the blast. Charred bodies flew through the air as they screamed their final death cries and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Now the remaining Nebelwerfer…"

"I'm already on it." The Fury said tossing a grenade towards the other cannon.

The Boss smiled and continued to fire at the Nazi forces. Thankfully there weren't too many soldiers left to defend the compound and with both Nebelwerfer's destroyed, this made the SOE's job a piece of cake. The Boss noticed that her sten gun was finally running out of ammunition, she asked for The Fury to cover her, while she reloaded her gun. Pulling back and letting The Fury take over, The Boss pulled out another ammo belt and loaded it into the gun.

"Shit!" She heard The Pain exclaim. "It's a grenade, everyone scramble!"

Before she had a chance to react, The Sorrow threw himself on top of her shielding her from the blast. The loud explosion rocked the ground on which everyone was laying and showered everything in a blinding light. Thankfully the grenade was a few yards from where the Cobra unit was hunkered down, but it was still a close call. The Boss looked up at The Sorrow with astonishment.

"Are you all right Boss?" He asked looked at her tenderly.

"I will be." She said.

"Boss." The others all asked crawling toward her, trying to avoid the gunfire coming from the compound. "Boss, are you all right?"

"Yes." She said gently shoving The Sorrow off of her. "I am fine, thanks to The Sorrow. How about you all?"

Everyone said that they were doing fine, it appeared that the all managed to keep away from the grenades blast just before it exploded.

"That's a relief to hear." She said. "And what about you Sorrow? You haven't said a word."

The Sorrow was clutching his right shoulder when she looked over at him. Instantly she knew that he had been injured trying to protect her.

"How bad is it Sorrow." She asked.

The Sorrow moved his hand which was drenched in blood and there was a large wound from where decent size piece of shrapnel had caught him in the back and came out through his shoulder. Before she had time to react this time, cannons from behind them began to fire at the V-1 plant. It had to have been from the Special Operation Executive's. Turning her attentions to her watch, the fifteen minute window was indeed over and the SOE was coming to finish off the compound once and for all, and not a second too soon either. With The Sorrow injured so badly, he would need emergency treatment soon.

In the distance she heard the Nazi scream retreat and the gunfire in the direction of the compound came to a very brief stop. She knew the mission to destroy the compound was a success as the SOE fired off another round that crumbled the walls of the Peenemünde compound.

"The Pain," She said compassionately. "Help me get him to a medic."

The Sorrow smiled at her feebly as she gently pulled him up by his left arm.

"I would hate to loose the world's best recon man."

The Sorrow leaned most of his weight onto The Boss, while The Pain helped keep them both in balance.

"I want the rest of you to keep us covered, in case there's anyone following us."

"Yes Boss."

The Cobra unit all went off together. Their part in the mission was now over and it was time for the SOE to pick up where they left off. The sounds of screams and the smell of cannon smoke deafened the senses, but at least the mission would be a success, now all that remained was to get The Sorrow the medical attention he desperately needed.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Mid-December, 1943

Vienna, Virginia

"_Wake up Lil._" Her father said softly. "_It's snowing outside._"

"_It is?_" She questioned rubbing her big blue eyes.

"_Yes it is._" He said picking her up out of her warm canopy bed and carrying her to the window in his arms. "_See Lilith, isn't it beautiful?_"

Little Lilith smiled brightly as she looked out of her bedroom window and saw the fluffy white snow piled up outside her family home. Every time it would snow outside, her father would come and wake her up, so they could go sledding. It was her one of her favorite pastimes.

"_Hurry and get dressed so we can go sledding Lil._" Her father said eagerly.

"_Yes Daddy…_"

The Boss opened her blue eyes and saw that she was facing towards the window. Much like her dream, it was a bitter cold winter's morning outside. The flakes of snow fluttered outside her bedroom window and icy wind pounded against the window pain. It had been quite sometime since she dreamt about her father. Not since a few weeks after the Cobra unit's second mission, well over a year ago.

Thinking about her father made her feel good inside for some strange reason. It let her know that he was still with her in spirit, even if he couldn't be physically with her. As she lied in bed, she realized this feeling she had was very strange. A sort of strange gnawing feeling at the bottom of her stomach, but why would the memory of her father make her feel that away she questioned. Trying to take her mind off of her stomach, The Boss turned away from the window and faced the wall, but the feeling grew stronger. She felt like she was on the top floor of the Chrysler building, in elevator that was rapidly descending toward the ground level.

_I think I'm going to be sick._ She thought as she tossed the sheets off her body and dashed into the bathroom.

Hunching over the toilet, The Boss spent the next ten minutes on her knees retching violently. When it was all over, The Boss brushed her teeth, and went back into her bedroom. Climbing into bed, she pulled the sheets over her head.

_What the hell has been wrong with me?_ She thought. _I've been like this for a few weeks now. Some days I'm throwing up horribly and others I'm too exhausted to get out of bed. Maybe being on the battlefield so much is starting to catch up with me? It has been awhile since I've had a lengthy break from everything._

The Boss yawned and her blue eyes were beginning to feel heavy.

_I need to wake up._ She thought. _There are so many things I have to do today. But I'm so tired, I don't want to get out of bed. Maybe I should go see the doctor…_

Finally The Boss dozed off into another heavy sleep.

It was hours later when The Boss finally woke up again. Looking at her clock, she saw it was very close to noon.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed as she saw the time. "Why the hell was I sleeping for so long?"

The Boss got out of bed and flew into the bathroom for her shower. Once she was out and dressed, she ran downstairs and packed up everything she would need to take with her for her meeting with the three generals. As she was getting ready, the telephone rang. No doubt it had to be one of the generals, furious with her for being late. Reluctantly picking up the receiver, she answered.

"Good afternoon Boss."

"Good afternoon General March." She said recognizing the voice.

"I'm glad I was able to catch you before you left Boss." He said kindly. "Something urgent came up today and we won't be able to have our meeting this afternoon."

"What happened?" She asked calming down.

"The deaths of Karl Eibl and Alexander von Hartmann." General March said. "Two of the Nazi party's highest generals were both killed in action last night."

"Eibl?" The Boss said trying to remember where she knew that name from. "Wasn't he the General of the Panzer Corps?"

"Yes," He said. "And von Hartmann was the general of 71st Eastern Front division. Both Eibl and von Hartmann were said to be very close to Hitler and had intimate knowledge of all his dealings. While we wanted to capture them alive, it seemed doubtful they would have been as cooperative as Clöβner was with providing us information."

"I agree." She said.

"Well with your next two targets dead, and the war seeming to shift in our direction, we aren't going to need the Cobra Unit." He said. "Not for a little while anyway."

"I see." She said not changing her tone.

"We will contact you if the situation changes, but for now it seems doubtful anything will happen."

"Well winter time is usually a slow time in war, as you well know General."

"True." He agreed with her. "And with the holiday's coming up, it doesn't surprise me in the least that the war is slowing down. But please enjoy your leave and we'll contact you soon."

"Goodbye General." She said hanging up the receiver.

Well, with the meeting cancelled, she would have lots of extra time today. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to go and visit her friend, Dr. Nancy Wake.

Driving up the quite snow covered country roads, The Boss made her way to Nancy's river front house in Occoquan, Virginia. How she managed to be a successful doctor in such a remote area was mind boggling, but she did it.

Nancy and The Boss went way back. Nancy was The Boss's first partner and a graduate of the Philosopher school. They went on many missions together. While Nancy was tough, she wasn't as talented as The Boss when it came down to fighting. When they were seventeen, a year before The Boss started the Cobra Unit, Nancy was offered and accepted a deal where she would work in the medical research division of the Philosophers and receive the most advanced medical training in the world. After that, Nancy retired from the battlefield while The Boss created her own unit.

Pulling up to the front of the house, Nancy stood outside the door and waited for her. Stepping out of her car, and walking up the front steps, Nancy and The Boss hugged.

"It's been a long time Boss." Nancy said happily.

"Too long." She answered. "How have you been?"

"Busy." Nancy answered. "And yourself?"

"Busy." The Boss answered.

"Well let's come in." She said ushering The Boss into her foyer. "It's freezing out here."

Closing her front door, Nancy took The Boss's long black coat and placed it on one of the nearby hooks. Then leading her into the parlor by the fireplace the two women sat down and began to talk.

"So Boss." She said. "Why brings you by to see me?"

"I want you to examine me." The Boss said sternly.

"Why?" Nancy asked. "You've always been healthy as a horse."

"I've been feeling quite strange lately." She said.

"What do you mean strange?"

"I've been vomiting, fatigued, sometimes I feel slightly dizzy."

"Really?" Nancy answered. "How long have you been this way?"

"A few weeks?" The Boss evaded.

"What's a few weeks?" She asked.

"About four weeks."

"A month!" Nancy questioned. "You've been feeling this way for a month and you wait until now to come and see me."

"I've been on assignment." The Boss said. "And besides, I thought it would go away by now."

"Oh Boss." She said sighing. "Well in any case, do you have any other symptoms, like fever or chills, or anything of that nature?"

"No." The Boss said calmly. "Nothing like that."

"So let me see if I understand you." Nancy said standing up. "You've been vomiting?"

"Yes."

"And you're fatigued?"

"Yes."

"And you say you feel slightly dizzy sometimes?"

"Yes."

"Is this mostly in the morning hours?" Nancy asked.

"Yes it is." The Boss answered.

"I see…" She said. "Have you had your menstrual cycle during this time?"

"No." The Boss answered. "But I often miss my menstrual cycles."

"Yes," Nancy said. "being on the battlefield can cause a delay in your menses, that is true, but when was the last time you had one?"

The Boss thought for a moment then answered, "Not since September I suppose."

"I see…"

"Would you stop saying that Nancy." The Boss said. "If you think you know what's wrong with me then tell me."

"Yes I think I do know what's wrong with you." Nancy said. "But I just can't be certain. Would you mind if I did a thorough examination on you?"

"Not at all." The Boss said.

"Okay." Nancy said. "I'll have to get my bag, but I'll be right back."

Nancy dashed out of the room and back into the foyer to grab her black bag with all her medical supplies in it. Bringing the big heavy case into the parlor, she instructed The Boss to lay down on the sofa, while she closed all the window and shut the parlor door. Opening up her black bag, Nancy pulled out a pair of clean gloves, some witch hazel to clean her hands with, and a clean white towel. Once her hands were clean, she put on the gloves and walked over to The Boss who was calmly waiting.

"Boss." She said. "I hate to ask you to do this, but I need you to get undressed."

The Boss stood up and took off all her clothes then laid back down on the soft blue sofa.

"Okay Boss." Nancy said. "What I'm about to do may be a bit uncomfortable, but I need to make sure of something before I proceed with any other tests. So you will need to stay relaxed while I do this."

"Okay Nancy." She said. "I trust you."

Taking a deep breath in Nancy parted The Boss's legs and placed two fingers inside her. Then with her other hand she pressed The Boss's stomach to see if she felt something. She didn't have to press too long before she could feel it and her suspicions were confirmed. Taking her hands off The Boss, Nancy pulled her gloves off and sighed.

"What the hell was that for?" The Boss asked with her face turning a light shade of pink.

"Boss you're pregnant." Nancy blurted out.

The light pink the graced her face instantly went pale once Nancy blurted out that she was pregnant.

"I…" The Boss stuttered. "I can't be. It's impossible."

"I confirmed it Boss." Nancy said sorrowfully. "You have to be about nine weeks pregnant."

"Oh my God…" The Boss said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Here Boss." Nancy said softly. "Get dressed, I'll go make us some tea."

Nancy left the room to go make the tea, while The Boss just sat there frozen in disbelief. She was going to have a baby. She was going to have Sashenka's baby. But she could have a child, not now, not ever. She was a soldier, she wasn't a mother. She didn't know the first thing about childrearing. Also, how will Sashenka react to this news? How was it going to effect the Cobra's? Oh God, and when the Philosopher's find out about this who knows what they'll do.

Trembling, The Boss picked up her clothes and put them on. She had never been so frightened in all her life. Everything was going to change now, everything. The lives that would change because of this. And the most frightening of all was what the Philosopher's would do to her and Sashenka when they found out. Her mind was spinning a mile a minute. This was news she wasn't prepared to hear.

Quickly pulling herself together, The Boss ran out of the parlor and grabbed her coat. Before she could get to the front door, Nancy came out.

"I just started the tea and…" She said realizing The Boss was leaving. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go back." She said sounding distraught.

"But Boss."

"I'm sorry Nancy." She said opening the door. "But I have to go."

"Boss wait." Nancy said walking over to her. "Before you do anything crazy, just remember you have to stay calm. You have a child to consider now. And I promise, I won't tell anyone about this."

"Thank you Nancy." The Boss said softly.

"But also remember." Nancy warned. "While I won't tell anyone, eventually I won't have too. But as long as no one knows about it, you can trust me not to say a word."

"Thank you doctor." She said kindly.

"Drive carefully."

"I will." The Boss said closing the door behind her.

Getting into her car and closing the door, The Boss pulled out of Nancy's driveway and headed back toward Vienna. It was going to be a long drive to Sashenka's, but she had to tell him he was going to be a father.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

It was nighttime when The Boss finally pulled up in front of Sashenka's apartment building. The sky was a beautiful shade of reddish orange from the recent snowfall. Because of the snow and the dangerous conditions, the drive from Occoquan was seemingly endless. That and the fact her mind hadn't stopped spinning since Nancy broke the news to her about the pregnancy.

The Boss had no idea what she was going to say to him or how he would to react to the news that she was going to have a baby. It seemed doubtful he would be angry or upset. He would probably be very thrilled at the news, but… It was just the thought of what would happen to them once this baby arrived, that's what frightened her the most. The Philosophers would no doubt kill them and take the child as their own. The thought of death didn't scare her, but to have a child, her child, grow up leading the life she's led… The very prospect of it sent shivers down her spine.

Sitting behind the wheel of her black Chrysler, The Boss thought about how she was going to tell Sashenka about the baby and the Philosophers, but every time she thought about actually going up to his apartment and saying it sent more cold chills down her spine. Why was she so afraid to tell him? He had a right no know; after all he is the father of this child, her dearest love, and best friend. He needed to know everything about her, all the secrets she kept hidden about her life. There would be no way she could hide those things from him forever. Sooner or later he would find them out. Especially the pregnancy. Her body was inevitably going to get larger and soon enough everyone would know she was pregnant.

The Boss turned off the ignition of the car and prepared to march upstairs to tell him the news. There was nothing to be afraid of she assured herself. Besides, she was The Boss, The Boss is never afraid of anything. Stepping out of the car, she slammed the car door behind her and marched up the front stairs of the building. Pushing the main door open, she walked into the depressing dark hallway.

Ascending the creaky staircase, The Boss made her way up to Sashenka's apartment. Taking a deep breath in, she knocked firmly on the door and waited for him to answer. After a few seconds, Sashenka appeared at the door.

"Oh Boss." He said opening up the door widely. "What a pleasant surprise. Please come in."

"Thank you." She said walking into his apartment.

She stepped into the warm room, but did not sit down. Sashenka closed the door behind them and walked over to her.

"I apologize for the way the apartment looks." He said trying to clean up what he could. "But my arm is still in this sling and…"

"You don't have to apologize, I understand." She said. "How's your arm doing?"

"It's doing well." He said gently. "The doctors tell me it should be 100 better by the end of next week. But if you asked me, I think it's all better now."

"I'm glad to hear that." She said gently.

"Let me take your coat?" He said graciously.

"Oh no please." She said. "I can't stay long."

"Very well." He said sitting down at the small kitchen table. "What brings you by to see me tonight Boss?"

"Sashenka…" She broke off and sighed. "There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to tell you."

"What's the matter?" He asked bracing for the worst news possible.

"I'm pregnant." She said sternly.

Sashenka was shocked and did not answer her.

"I…" She said nearly choking on her words. "I just found out today. My doctor says I'm about nine weeks pregnant."

Sashenka was so shocked that he was practically frozen to the chair.

"Please say something Sashenka?" She begged.

"I…" He got up from his chair, walked over to her, and held her tightly in his arms. "Boss, that's splendid news. I thought it was something terrible…"

"It is terrible Sashenka." She said breaking from his tender hold. "I can't be someone's mother."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I just can't." She said not telling him the real reason for her apprehension.

"If it's because of the unit…" He started.

"It's not just that." She said defensively. "There are other reasons why I can't be a mother."

"Tell me Boss." He pleaded with her.

"Because I'm afraid of what will happen to us when I have this child." She blurted out.

"I don't understand?" Sashenka said sounding perplexed. "What will happen to us?"

"I don't expect you to understand." She said. "And I can't tell you why either. Just know that… I shouldn't do this."

"Yes you should and can do this." He said walking over to her and holding her tightly again. "I will be there for you always Boss."

"But Sashenka…" She said.

"I love you." He interrupted her. "And I will love our child."

Sashenka lifted up her chin so she could looking into his pale hazel eyes, which had that sincere earnest look he had given her the first time he said he loved her. The Boss tried to resist, but she just melted. Try as she may to resist him, she just couldn't. It was his sincerity and honesty that made her love him so much. The Boss smiled as Sashenka leaned in for a kiss. His lips were so warm and gentle that it made all of apprehensions disappear.

The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon as both Sashenka and The Boss lay undressed in Sashenka's bed. The pair lay silently beside each other as the first rays of light beamed though the windows and silhouetted their bodies. After kissing The Boss good morning, Sashenka slid down her chest and placed his ear to her stomach.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly.

"I want to see if I hear anything." He answered.

He listened intently to see if he could hear or feel anything, but alas he couldn't. However he was happy where he lay, so he did not move.

"Do you hear anything?" She asked after awhile.

"Nothing." He said looking up at her, but not moving his head from her stomach. "But I'm sure I'll hear something soon."

The Boss stroked his soft white hair and smiled.

"Boss." He asked. "What will we name this child?"

"I don't know." She answered. "What you like to name our child?"

"If it's a girl," Sashenka said placing his head onto her chest. "I would like to name her after my Grandmother, Calina Daria."

"Okay." The Boss said. "If it's a boy however, I want to name him after my father."

"What is your father's name?" Sashenka asked.

"Adam." She said reverently.

"His Russian name would be Adamska." He thought. "If it's a boy Boss, could we name him Adam Erik, which would be Adamska Yerik Trofimoff in Russian."

The Boss mulled it over for a second, but smiled at the name.

"I like it." She said softly. "If it's a boy, we'll name him Adam Erik Trofimoff."

Sashenka smiled and moved his head back to her stomach. He practically beamed with pride. He hadn't felt this much overwhelming joy in a long time.

"You have made me unbelievably happy Boss." Sashenka said. "I haven't felt this way in a very long time."

The Boss looked down at him with a smile. It was then she saw the tears that fell from his pale hazel eyes. Brushing the tears off his face, Sashenka looked up at The Boss and gently touched her soft alabaster cheek.

"Oh Boss." He said looking deeply into her blue eyes. "You having this child means more to me then anything else in the world."

The Boss didn't say anything; she just continued to smile at him.

"You know." He said letting of her cheek and nestling his head gently onto her stomach. "I've never told anyone this before, but I was married and had a child once."

"Really?" The Boss said sounding rather surprised.

"Yes." He answered. "When I was much younger I married a girl in the village where my Grandmother's farm was."

"Tell me about her." The Boss said gently stroking his soft white hair.

"Her name was Jelena and we had met my first few days on the farm." He said closing his eyes. "She showed me around the village and introduced me to all the other children. Because of my powers, many of the village children were afraid of me, but not Jelena, she would always play with me."

Sashenka paused and sat up next to The Boss.

"As the years grew on," He continued. "We found that our friendship had turned into love. Jelena was there for me after my grandmother died. She even helped me with the funeral arraignments as well as helped me tend the farm after her death. When I turned fifteen I asked her to marry me and she happily excepted."

"You were very young when you married." The Boss said softly.

"Yes we were both fifteen." He said. "But for the first year we lived together as brother and sister. Then for some reason, the next year we began to live as husband and wife. It wasn't too long after that, that Jelena found herself with child and much like now I was overjoyed, but Jelena became sick during the last months of her pregnancy. The night our son was born she died in my arms asking me take good care of our child."

The Boss said nothing as Sashenka continued with his story with tears welling up in the corner of his pale hazel eyes.

"The village doctor had done all he could for Jelena but said she wasn't strong enough to endure labor and he also said my son wasn't doing well either." He paused very briefly to compose himself before continuing.

"Two hours later, I was holding my son in my arm wondering how I would take care of this child; trying to think of ways to care for him without my wife, when suddenly I felt his little tiny body go limp in my arms and he too was gone from my life. After their funerals I left the farm in the care of my cousins and returned to Stalingrad."

"Sashenka..." The Boss said holding him in her arms tightly. "It must have been hell losing your wife and child and at such a young age."

"It was." He said wrapping his arms around her slender waist. "It was partly the reason I returned to Stalingrad and joined the Red Army with my father, so I could take my mind off of them. For a time, helping my father in the Red Army did make everything better, but when I was alone my mind would often drift to them."

The Boss said nothing.

Sashenka let go of The Boss and sat up next to her in bed.

"That's why you having this child means so much to me." He said staring deeply into her lovely blue eyes.

"Sashenka…"

The Boss started to tell him about the Philosopher's and what would inevitably happen once this child was born, but looking at his face, how for the first time since she's known him it was bright and happy. He looked truly like a proud father. She couldn't crush his happiness by telling him their child would never be theirs. So she swallowed her words and smiled back to him.

"You were going to say something Boss?" He questioned looking into her eyes.

"I was just going to say that I'm glad this means so much to you."

Sashenka kissed The Boss and then slid back to her stomach. As he lay there so full of content and pride he wished her stomach was much larger so he could actually feel the child moving inside her, but that is still yet to come. The Boss too was silent, but far more apprehensive about this baby. Sooner or later she would have to tell him something about her past and the Philosophers. For now, however, keeping everything a secret was in everyone's best interest.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

May 31, 1944

Vienna, Virginia

"_Do you know what today is Lilith?_" Her father asked as he picked her put and carried her around the gigantic foyer of their family estate.

"_Today is the day all the Wiseman come for the annual meeting._" She said sweetly.

"_That's right._" He said kissing her little rosy cheeks. "_Gee you're a smart girl Lilith. Can you name a few of the Wiseman?_"

Lilith thought for a moment, it was kind of difficult to remember who they all were because many of them came from either China or Russia and they had names she wasn't use to hearing in her daily life. But she wanted to try and remember some of them so her father wouldn't be disappointed in her.

"_Um…_" She stuttered. "_There is Commander Tsang from China._"

"_Very good._" Her father said with his usually encouraging tone.

"_There is Mr. Oparin from Russia and Mr. Sloan from Philadelphia._" She continued.

"_Excellent Lil._" He said cheerfully. "_Now name just one more for Daddy_."

Lilith thought very hard, but suddenly the name of one of the other men from Russia popped into her mind.

"_Commander Volgin._"

"_Very good Lilith._" Her father said hugging her. "_Commander Volgin is one of our most important members; he is the one who tends to the Philosophers Legacy. That Legacy will help further our cause Lil and should be protected at all costs._"

Adam hugged Lilith again before placing her on the floor so she could walk next to him.

"_Since you've been so good and so very smart today Lilith._" Adam said. "_When the photographer arrives, you can take a picture with us. Would you like to do that Lil?_"

The Boss opened her eyes abruptly. She could feel the child moving around wildly inside her. It was morning and the child demanded to be fed immediately. Trying to prepare herself to climb out of bed, The Boss touched her stomach to try to calm the hyper child within her, but it would not be swayed. Once this little one went on a tantrum there was no allaying him until he got what he wanted. With a sigh The Boss turned over to her side and tried to find the easiest way to get out of bed, which wasn't easy being nine months pregnant.

After a few failed attempts, she tapped Sashenka who was sleeping peacefully next to her.

"Sashenka." She said tapping him.

"Yes Boss." He answered turning over to his other side so he could see what she wanted.

"Our child is starving," She said. "I need some help getting out of bed so I can feed him."

"You don't have to get up." He said gently. "I will go and prepare something for you both. What would you both like?"

"Steak and eggs with potatoes." She said kindly.

"Yes Boss." He said getting up out of bed happy to begin cooking for her.

The Boss lay back down on the bed, but she could still feel the child kicking her. She had to do something as this was now beginning to become a nuisance. Taking a deep breath in, The Boss managed to climb out of bed and stand up. The second she stood up her back began to ache and her head felt dizzy. But she had to do something to try to calm herself and the child down.

Pulling off her night gown The Boss walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucets. Normally when the baby was like this and she couldn't eat for awhile, she would take a long shower. How or why this helped the child to stop kicking her she didn't understand, but it didn't matter; it was a tested method that worked.

The Boss turned the shower on, but before she climbed in, she looked at her naked body in the full length mirror that was hanging on the door.

_My body has changed so much._ She thought. _Up until last month you could hardly tell I was pregnant, but now… Now my stomach has grown exponentially._

Running her hands across her large stomach The Boss felt the child moving around inside her. Circling her stomach with her hands, it slowly calmed the child down. It was such a relief to finally get this little one inside her to stop moving so much. Stepping into the shower, The Boss herself began to feel a little more settled. It was still very odd that, feeling of the baby moving inside her. It sorta felt like butterflies or bubbles inside her stomach. And it would happen at the most unusual times, but it was much worse when she was on a mission.

During their last mission, the child kicked so much it caused her aiming to go slightly off target. Thankfully she had The End to back her up and they took out their target with no problem. Sighing The Boss thought about how this baby was going to change everything. She still hadn't told Sashenka about the Philosophers or anything about her past. Every time she started the words wouldn't come. She also hadn't told the rest of the Cobra unit about her pregnancy. Considering Nancy said she could give birth at any time and they would be sent on another mission soon, she figured she should tell them.

After nearly a half hour in the shower, The Boss was in her room getting dressed for the day. Dressing took a much longer time then it use to before the pregnancy. Normally she would just jump into her suits, but now, she had to spend an extra twenty minutes cramming herself into three different girdles so she could better hide her stomach. If Sashenka knew the lengths that she went thought to hide this pregnancy he would undoubtedly be upset. But it couldn't be helped; she had to keep everything hidden until she could think of a way too keep their child from the hands of the Philosophers.

Putting on her blue pin-striped suit, The Boss buttoned up the vest and put on the jacket. She hated the fact that she had to wear a jacket now, especially in the heat of early summer. But the vest didn't do enough to cover her stomach and today she had a meeting with the generals about this latest mission, so any signs of pregnancy, no matter how large or small had to be concealed. Apparently it was something big they had in store of the Cobra unit. She could scarcely contain her excitement when she was told it would be a dual collaboration between all the allied forces.

Apparently after the battle of Stalingrad, Joseph Stalin was becoming worried that the Germans would seize control of the Soviet Union. So the three heads of the Allied forces met and decided on a course of action that would undoubtedly take down the Nazi party. All she had to do was meet up with the generals to find out what the unit's role in this massive operation would be. According to something she heard in passing after a training exercise a few days ago, the Nazi's were planning a massive counterstrike to the pending battle. No matter what the mission was, she was determined to see it through no matter what.

Once she was all dressed and ready to begin the day, The Boss walked downstairs and into the kitchen. From the delicious smells that came from the room, breakfast was nearly ready. The sweet smell of tender succulent steak filled the room and made her mouth water. She was absolutely starving now, but at least the baby finally stopped kicking her.

"Ah Boss." Sashenka said noticing her walk to the table. "You are just in time."

"Good." She said tucking one of the cloth napkins into her dress shirt collar. "Because your child and I are starving."

"Hopefully I've made enough food for the both of you." He said preparing her first plate of food. "I made double the normal amount because I know how hungry you are first thing in the morning."

Sashenka sat the plate of food down in front of her and she stared at the meal practically with tears in her eyes. Sashenka had prepared a feast for her and the baby. Not only had he made the steak, eggs, and potatoes for her, but he even made her a large stack of pancakes. This was such a wonderful treat for someone who felt as though they were starving to death. Even though she had several things for dinner the night before, this felt like the first meal she'd eaten in the past week. However it was always like this since she became pregnant. Her appetite was ravenous at best, but she was eating for two.

Digging into her meal eagerly, The Boss practically inhaled everything that was on her plate before Sashenka could sit down and enjoy his breakfast.

"Oh you are such a wonderful chef Sashenka." She said before taking a drink of milk. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making breakfast."

Sashenka smiled at her compliment. He wasn't the greatest chef, but he did what he could because he loved her and wanted her and the baby to be happy. An hour later, The Boss grabbed her car keys and was about to head out the door to the base so she could attend her meeting with the generals.

"Where are you going?" Sashenka asked.

"I have a meeting." She answered unlocking the front door. "And then I'll be going to meet my doctor. After that, I should be home."

"Oh." He said sound disappointed. "I was hoping you would stay here today, especially since we don't have training to do."

"I would love to stay here with you Sashenka," She said. "But I need to be briefed on our next mission."

"You're not seriously going to go on another mission Boss!" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" She returned the questioned.

"Because you're expected to give birth any day now." He said. "You couldn't possibly go on a mission."

"Yes I can." She said sternly. "I have no other choice but to do so."

"What do you mean you have no other choice?" He asked. "You can choose to stop if you want to."

"I don't have that option Sashenka." The Boss retorted. "Not now, not ever."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"I can't tell you." She said opening up the front door preparing to walk out.

"Boss wait!" He stopped her.

Walking over to her, Sashenka grabbed her shoulders and looked into her blue eyes, but did not say anything to her. At first The Boss couldn't understand what he was doing, but suddenly this strange feeling passed over; as if someone was trying to open her body up and crawl in. This wasn't a painful feeling, it just didn't feel normal. What was he doing to her? Soon she began to understand exactly what Sashenka was doing this do her. It felt like he was inside her mind reading everything, her thoughts, her dreams, her memories, everything. The Boss tried to close her eyes to stop him from reading her, but it didn't work. He just continued to dig deeper and deeper into her mind.

Sashenka was deep inside her mind reading everything he could. Her mind was a truly terrifying place, full of sadness, death, and destruction. He finally saw all the secrets that she hid from him. He could clearly see the death of her father as well as the frightening and difficult life she had growing up. How these Philosopher's forced her to become a child solider, that it wasn't even her choice. But whenever she was in battle she seemed so happy and relaxed, you would never think for one moment this was something she hadn't chosen to do.

The Boss had to put an end to this. How dare he violate her mind! If there were things she wanted to hide, he should have respected that. He had no right to look into her, none at all. Balling up her fist, The Boss gained some control over her mind and prepared to hit him. Just as she swung in Sashenka's direction, he moved, just in the nick of time, away from her punch.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" She hissed bitterly.

Sashenka saw the furious look on her face and it frightened him.

"If you ever look inside my mind like that again…" She said contemptuously. "I will kill you."

"I… I'm sorry Boss." He stuttered. "I won't do it again."

Walking outside The Boss slammed the door behind her. Never had she felt so violated in all her days. Getting into her car, The Boss angrily sped off down the street and to the base for the meeting with the generals.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Sashenka was beside himself. In the near two years they had been together, he had never ever seen her that furious. True, it was wrong of him to look inside her mind, but he only did it because he was worried about her and the baby. She knew going into battle nine months pregnant wasn't the best thing to do, but at least now he understood why she did the things she did. It's not only out of loyalty and patriotism, but because she doesn't have any other choice.

Poor Boss; she had endured so much tragedy for such a young woman. Even though she doesn't realize it, she watched her mother die moments after she was born. Then when she was still a child, she bore witness to her father's gruesome murder. How anyone could force an eleven year old child watch as an assassin pumped seven bullets into their father's skull? Cruelty of that magnitude was beyond comprehension. He also saw the tears she wept bitterly after the killers took her away. Just the thought of that memory and the pain and remorse that she felt, and still feels made Sashenka's heart break in half.

_Oh Boss._ He thought. _Your life has been wrought with hardships. Maybe I should just leave and not cause you any more pain._

Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated. He could never leave her side, not now. She was going to need him once the child arrived. She would also need him for the next mission. He couldn't just abandon her or the unit. They were all like family and it would break her heart if he left without so much as a goodbye.

Pulling himself together, Sashenka decided that he would apologize for this morning when she returned him. But they also needed to have a very long talk about this impending mission and how this could affect the child she carried. She had to understand his concerns, not as a comrade, but as the father of her child.

Meanwhile, at Langley Air Force Base The Boss sat in the meeting room waiting for the three generals to finally arrive. Her back was aching terribly and the baby was starting to kick her again. Now was hardly the time she had to deal with the petulant child inside her. The Boss tried to shift her position in the hard wood chair to give her back a little more support, but it was no use. The knot in her back would not budge an inch and now a new problem, she had to use the ladies room.

_Damn it!_ She thought. _I just went ten minutes ago._

Just as The Boss stood up to leave the room, the three generals walk in.

"Good morning Boss." General Simpson said.

"Good morning gentleman." She said walking past them to the doors of the conference room

"Where are you going Boss?" General March asked.

"I'll be right back." She said abruptly walking out of the room, practically running down the hall into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, The Boss walked back into the conference room and sat back down in the hard wooden chair.

"Is everything alright Boss?" General Paul asked.

"Just fine."

"Are you sure?" General Simpson said. "You look kind of flustered?"

"I'm fine." She said trying hard to adjust her back into a more comfortable position.

"I don't know Boss." General Paul said taking a good look at her face. "You do look a little strange today… Are you sick?"

"I said I'm fine." She said starting to get annoyed. "Can we please start the meeting?"

"Certainly." General Paul said. "Well, as you know President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Primer Joseph Stalin met in Teheran to discuss how we are going to win this war as well as postwar strategies for controlling Europe and preventing things of this nature from happening again."

The Boss said nothing.

"What the top brass has decided to do is take Primer Stalin's idea to open up a second front in Western Europe."

"That is quite daring." The Boss said sounding intrigued. "But I thought the US and England's position was to maintain a good defense and keep the Eastern front secure?"

"Yes," General Simpson said. "That was the idea, but Stalin has grown weary of our postponing a major attack on the Western front. He's concerned that if we don't intervene the Soviet Union will fall to the Nazi's."

"So what's the plan?" She asked.

"The plan is to launch a major assault on five beaches located west of the Onre River near Caen Canal." General March finished.

"How daring." The Boss said. "But how does this involve the Cobra's?"

"As you know," General Simpson said. "The Nazi's have developed a new and highly destabilizing version of the Vergeltung 1 or V-1 flying bomb."

"Yes." The Boss said shifting her position again slightly to better accommodate her achy back. "I did hear someone recently mention they were deploying them on the battlefield now."

"Well," General Simpson said. "The V-2 has a much longer range and trajectory then its predecessor V-1."

"The speed alone is greater then the V-1." General Paul interjected. "The V-1 moved at speeds of 350 miles per hour, but the V-2 moves at speed of up to 500 miles per hour."

"Yes." General Simpson added. "We've been told that once those things are deployed it's damn near impossible to stop them."

"If they send out any of these V-2 flying bombs during the attack in Caen," General March said sternly. "Then our mission will be a failure and Europe will be doomed."

"The mission we're sending the Cobra unit on will be to seek out and destroy any enemy V-2 rocket installations you come across."

"There's no specific target?" The Boss asked.

"We haven't gotten the intelligence back on the V-2 locations, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out." General March said. "For the time being, the mission is to destroy as many V-2 installations as you can before we rendezvous with you in Balleroy."

"When will we be deployed?" The Boss asked.

"The mission is scheduled to take place June 5th." General Paul said. "The Cobra Unit will be parachuting into Normandy with 82nd Airborne Division."

"Very well." She said coolly getting up out of her chair. "Well, gentleman if that is all for today?"

"It is." General Simpson said.

"Then it is time I bid you all good day." She said preparing to leave.

"Say Boss." General Simpson said stopping her.

The Boss turned and looked at him with a half evil glare. Once again she had to use the ladies room and the child once again shifted around inside her. She wanted to leave and take off for Nancy's before going back home and collapsing into bed. The last thing she needed was to be further delayed by the generals.

"You seem in a rush today." General Simpson said. "Is there anything wrong?"

The Boss smiled and answered, "I said it before, there is nothing the matter with me?"

"It's just that we seldom see you in such a strange mood Boss." General March interjected. "Where are you dashing off to?"

"To see one of my old combat buddies."

"Oh." He said. "Well we won't detain you any longer."

The Boss said nothing as she practically ran out of the conference room and into the ladies room. She knew this wasn't good, the generals were starting to suspect something was wrong. Thankfully they were too perceptive or maybe she just hid her pregnancy well, but they knew something was amiss and no doubt go prying as to why. Heaven forbid they found out anything no matter how small or insignificant! They would instantly report it to the Philosophers and she would be in a world of trouble. However this wasn't the time to worry. As long as she went on this next mission and completed it successfully, she would concern herself about the baby afterwards.

Sometime later, Nancy was just finishing up routine examination of The Boss's pregnancy. From everything she could see and feel both the mother and the child were doing very well. If all things went according to plan, the birth should be quite easy and without complications.

"Well Boss." Nancy said removing her rubber gloves. "All seems to be going well with this pregnancy."

The Boss said nothing.

You both appear to be pretty healthy." She said. "I was getting worried last month when you didn't seem pregnant, but I guess not everyone begins to show at the same time. So how are you feeling overall?"

"Tired mostly." The Boss answered. "I don't think I've ever felt this exhausted in my life."

"Yes." Nancy replied. "I have heard that from a lot of women; it's quite natural to feel exhausted this late in pregnancy. Anything else?"

"The child tends to kick me a lot." She said. "Is that normal?"

"It is in general." Nancy answered. "But considering you're hiding this child under a jacket, vest, a dress shirt, pants, and three girdles it's no surprise it's kicking you so much. The poor thing is probably too constricted."

The Boss said nothing.

"Please tell me when you're alone you do not walk around like this?"

"No." The Boss answered. "When I'm home alone, I'll usually wear something loose and comfortable. I have to admit the child doesn't kick too much when I'm wearing more loose fitting clothes."

"So the poor dear is constricted, just as I suspected." She said. "But at least you know not to wear those things all day and night."

"You said I was pretty healthy." The Boss said. "When do you expect me to give birth?"

"Well," She said. "I can't give you an exact time or day, but the baby appears to have dropped into the birthing position. I would say you could have this child any day now."

"I see…" The Boss said softly. "Would there be a way to stop the baby from coming if I were to unexpectedly go into labor on the battlefield?"

"No." Nancy said. "There is no way to stop labor once it starts."

"Damn."

"Boss," Nancy said. "Don't tell me that you're going on a mission this close to the end of your pregnancy?"

The Boss said nothing as she sat up and began to dress.

"You can't go on a mission now." Nancy insisted. "This child inside you could come anytime. What would you do if it came during the mission?"

"There would be nothing I could do." She said coolly.

"Boss," Nancy said trying to reason with her. "As your doctor I can't condone you going on this mission. As a woman, I can't condone you going on this mission. As a solider I can't condone you going on this mission."

"What about as a graduate from the Philosopher school?" The Boss retorted.

Nancy sighed and smirked, "Well, as a graduate from the Philosopher school I could condone it."

"I thought so." The Boss said standing up now fully dressed.

"What about the father of this child?" She asked. "What does he think of all this? Or have you killed him for doing this to you?"

The Boss couldn't help but laugh, then she answered, "He's just as worried about me and the child as you are."

"I see." Nancy said. "Well, I know the kind of choices you have here so I won't press the issue. However, like it or not, you are going to have a baby very soon. I would like not to see this child born in the middle of a fire fight. Please, if not for your own sake, but the sake of this child, please be careful."

"I will." She said.

"Well." Nancy said closing up her black bag. "Since I would have better luck trying to convince a blind man he had vision then to try to talk you out of going on this mission, may I at least offer my most heartfelt will wishes and a speedy and safe mission."

"Thank you Nancy." She said straightening up her clothes before walking out of the small medical room.

"And one more thing," She said kindly. "I know you have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill, but you will soon have a new set of obligations and responsibilities as will the father of this child. Please try to take his feelings and concerns into consideration. After all, it's not just yourself you must take care of anymore."

"I understand." The Boss said gently. "I will try not to be so hard on him."

The sun was just starting to slip under the horizon when The Boss returned to her home in Vienna. Tossing her keys onto the nearby table in the foyer, she walked into the parlor and saw Sashenka sitting quietly reading as he listened to music play on the radio. As much as she tried to shake what he had done to her this morning out of her mind, it was still a little difficult to forgive him.

"Hello Boss." He said looking up from his book. "I am glad you are home."

"Thank you Sashenka." She said sitting down on the sofa next to him.

Sashenka bent the pages of his book to save the spot which he was reading, then closed it and looked at The Boss with a soft gentle stare. It was a look that she had become familiar with over these past few years with him. When he looked at her so tenderly, it was damn near impossible to remain angry with him for long.

"Boss," He started softly. "I owe you an apology for this morning. It was wrong of me to read your mind like that and I want you to forgive me."

"I do forgive you Sashenka." She said. "Just… Just don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't." He said softly.

The Boss smiled at Sashenka and gently pulled him close to her, so she could hold him in her arms. It was then he completely understood that all was truly forgiven between them. Nuzzling himself between her full bosoms, Sashenka gently wrapped his arms around her and focused on the sound of her heartbeat.

"So how much do you know about me?" She asked bluntly.

"Everything." He said gently.

"Does it frighten you?" She asked. "Those things that you saw."

"At first it did, yes." He answered. "But after I thought about, I began to understand about why you do the things you do. About why you are the way you are. But none of those things matter to me Boss because I love you. No matter what you've done I will always love you and I will always be there for you."

Try as she may to fight back the tears from Sashenka's tender words, she couldn't help it. The words of love he spoke for her warmed her heart. She had never known anything like this before, and deep down inside she hoped that what they shared would never end.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

June 6, 1944

Greenham Common, England

The Boss woke up feeling particularly strange. This feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her stomach felt tight and her back was aching something terrible. This had to have been the beginning of child-labor. But this can't happen right now. Any moment she and the rest of the Cobra would have to depart with the 82nd Airborne Division and then have to parachute into Normandy.

Trying as hard as she could to suppress the increasing pain, The Boss finished putting on her jumpsuit and placed on the fifty pound backpack that housed the parachute. As soon as she placed on the backpack she keeled over in pain. Between the pressure from labor and the weight of the backpack, it felt as though her spine would shatter into a thousand pieces.

_Come on Lilith._ She thought._ You have to take control of this situation. Let's calm down and take a few breaths in, then we can get ready to go._

Taking several deep breaths in and out, she slowly began to relax and the contractions began to subside. Once they had stopped, she stood upright and tried to regain her balance. While she was trying to get herself settled, The Sorrow, who had been waiting with the other members of the Cobra unit came into her room to see what was taking her so long. When he walked into the room he saw her keeled over and he immediately ran to her side.

"What's wrong Boss?" He asked frantically.

"Nothing." She said trying once again to stand up.

"But you're sweating." He said. "And you can't stand up straight. Are you going into labor Boss?"

"I said nothing was wrong with me." She responded angrily. "Now leave me alone!"

"But." He stammered. "The others are waiting for you. It's time to go."

"I'll be there in a moment." She said. "Just give me a second."

The Sorrow turned and left her tent, while The Boss made a second attempt to prepare herself to go. Thankfully the contraction stopped and she could stand up fully. Now with any luck she could continue and complete the mission before the child came. She knew as long as there was a mission to complete she couldn't have this child. If it would just hold out for a little while longer…

Walking out of the tent she went over to the Cobra's who were all waiting for her patiently.

"Okay gentleman." She said sternly. "Are we ready?"

"Yes Boss." They all answered.

"Then let's go."

The Boss lead the Cobra's into the massive aircraft. Her apprehension threatened to overwhelm her, but there was no turning back now. No matter what, she had to complete this mission.

The flight towards Normandy seemed endless even though it was about an hour flight. It seemed endless to The Boss especially because she was beginning to have another contraction. She wanted to hurry up and get this mission underway. Time was fleeting before this child would be born. The contractions were not that close, but from the feel of things they were starting to get more and more intense. This child wanted to enter the world today and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The Sorrow looked over at The Boss, he knew there was something going on with her, but he dared not look into her mind again. Chances were she was going into labor, but was trying to hide it from him. There was nothing he could do for her if she chooses to hide what was wrong and because he refused to let their relationship interfere with the unit he couldn't even console or comfort her. All he could do is watch helplessly from a distance.

A very short time later, the hatch of the massive B-29 super fortress opened up. It was time for both the 82nd Airborne Division and the Cobra Unit to descend upon Normandy. Everyone stood up and slowly each person jumped out of the plane. The Sorrow took one last look at The Boss before she dove out of the plane with the brightest smile curved about her thin lips.

_I wish I shared her enthusiasm._ The Sorrow thought before he too took a massive leap out of the plane.

As The Boss's parachute opened she felt a powerful contraction pass though her. The pain was so intense tears began to well up in the corner of her bright blue eyes. This really wasn't good. They contractions were coming faster and getting much more intense. There was a very good chance that she would not be able to complete her mission, something that made her heart break. But she wasn't ready to give up on the mission yet. Never in all her years as a solider has failed to complete her missions. This would be difficult, but she was determined not to fail.

Looking down at the ground below, The Boss could see the landing site clearly. The fighting on the ground had already begun and the battle seemed particularly fierce. Already there were heavy causalities on both sides and she in the Cobra's would have to battle their way through the Nazi in order to get to the V-2 installations. Pulling out her sten gun, The Boss prepared herself to land and begin to cut though the Nazi army.

The sounds of gunfire and cries of agony as men were shot deafened the ears. Meanwhile the thick black smoke blanked everything in near pitch darkness. As The Boss and the rest of the Cobra unit landed on the beach they each prepared themselves to blaze though the enemy forces. They had twenty-four hours to destroy the seven V-2 installations between here and Balleroy.

Leading the charge, The Boss quickly removed her parachute and began to fire at the marauding horde of Nazis. Everyone in the unit rallied beside The Boss and took down anyone who managed to find their way into path.

It was finally late afternoon when the Cobra unit made it to the Forest of Cersy. The fighting had not let up an inch as the Cobras crossed into the dark forest. Everyone was exhausted, but could not afford to let their guard down just yet. The Boss, who had been having wild contractions for the last hour, did not stop for a moment to acknowledge the increasing pain that ran through every fiber of her being. The contractions were now about seven minutes apart and getting closer and closer with every step she took. But at least she managed to continue with her mission.

During the course of the day, the Cobras had taken down four of the seven installations. As usual The Sorrow's information was flawless and because of the heavy fighting with the allied forces back on the beaches of Normandy, the V-2 installations were left virtually unguarded. That made their jobs far easier then originally anticipated.

Walking through the forest, everyone held their breaths. The visibility in this place was terrible. It was difficult to distinguish shrubbery from human beings. And even worse then the visibility was the fact that there was no sound inside here, which could mean they had stumbled into a trap. According to The Sorrow there was a major V-2 rocket hub inside this forest. The hub wasn't too far from a road that lead to the next town and a few miles west of that town was Balleroy.

The Cobra unit walked very cautiously though the dense woods. This was very unsettling, that no one was patrolling this forest. Perhaps they figured that none of the allied forces would make it this far. However the Nazi's were far too clever for that line of thinking. This had to be a trap. Walking a little further, the Cobra unit stopped while The Boss pulled out her binoculars to see if she could see the road. Trying to focus, she couldn't see anything but miles of thick forest.

Putting the binoculars back onto her utility belt, she turned and looked at the members of the unit.

"What did you see Boss?" The Fear whispered.

"Nothing but trees." She answered. "The Sorrow, are you certain there's a V-2 installation here?"

"Yes." He answered sternly. "It should be about seven or eight miles west from here."

"If you're certain about The Sorrow." She said. "Then we will continue west."

The Cobra unit continued on in the direction given by The Sorrow. It seemed like they were walking endlessly and now The Boss's contractions were coming every six minutes. She desperately wanted to scream in agony, but she had to hold it in for fear of the unit being discovered by the enemy. The pain was beyond anything she had ever known. Her spine felt as though it was being gripped tightly in a vice while every nerve ending seemed like it was set ablaze. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, then the added pain of these contractions threatened to push her over the edge, but she had no choice but to continue on.

Without warning, as the unit continued on through the forest, gun shots rang out in the distance, narrowly missing The End as he walked.

"Take cover!" The Boss shouted.

It was the enemy, the finally decided to reveal themselves. Taking shelter behind the trees, the members of the Cobra unit, pulled out their weapons and began to fire back. As The Boss fired shots of her sten gun off in the distance, she peeked out from behind the tree she was hiding behind to see who her target was. Her blue eyes widened when she noticed who her target was.

"Ahren!" She said with a smile.

She was finally going to have her revenge on him for that little insult two years go. Without so much as a second thought, The Boss abandon her hiding spot and took off running towards Ahren.

Ahren notice the woman charging toward him and he remembered instantly who she was. It was that American woman who the French resistance allied themselves with. It was remarkable that a shrew like her managed to live though this war, but it was going to end right now. Ahren pulled out his G33 handgun and prepared to fire, but before he could even get a shot out, The Boss ran up to him and punched him in the face, causing him to recoil back a few yards.

"Bitch!" He screamed at her in German.

The Boss wouldn't let up on Ahren, she continued to beat and pummel him, while he tried in vain to fire off a round of his G33. Seeing what he was trying to do, The Boss grabbed the hand the gun was in and the pair tussled violently over the gun.

Each member of their respective units emerged from behind the trees they hid behind and watched in horror as the leader of their squadron battled for supremacy, but no one dared to fire a round for fear of killing the wrong person. The best thing to do was to see how this was going to play out.

The Boss was trying as hard as she could to get the gun out of Ahren's grubby hands, but he would not give so easily. He was a tenacious bastard that was for certain, but so was she. She would never let someone like him beat her. After several pounds to the face, Ahren started to show signs of slowing down, but he would still not release the gun. She gave him once final punch to the jaw and he fell backwards, but did not release the gun.

The Boss was spent; she couldn't continue to fight him. The Boss turned and began to walk back toward the Cobra unit; she was just about to give orders for the unit to capture everyone, when suddenly Ahren stood to his feet. Realizing she had let her guard down in the face of her enemy, The Boss turned around to stop Ahren, but it was too late. He fired off a round and shot her right in the stomach.

Ahren gave The Boss a sadistic grin as she grabbed her stomach in horror. She looked up at him with a murderous glint, when he tried to fire off another round, but was stopped dead in his tracks by The Sorrow, who managed to fire off a round of his own into Ahren's shoulder. Taking his eyes off The Boss, Ahren looked wickedly at The Sorrow, which gave The Boss the advantage.

At the blink of an eye, The Boss pulled out her sten gun and fired off a round directly into Ahren's unknowing skull. His blood and parts of his brains splattered all over The Boss as his lifeless corpse fell onto her body. The Boss push his dead carcass off of her, while the remaining members of Ahren's unit ran off into the distance.

The Cobra unit didn't care about the fleeing Nazi's; they ran over to check on The Boss who was clutching her stomach.

"Oh my God." The Sorrow screamed in horror as he cradled her in his arms. "Boss! Boss!"

"I'm so sorry The Sorrow." She said with tears pouring from her eyes.

"Let me see how bad it is Boss." He said gently.

The Boss moved her arms and he saw it. That bastard shot her right in the stomach, which means the child… He had to pull himself together. From the hysterical way The Boss was sobbing right now, he could ill afford to send her in a worse panic. From what he could see the bullet didn't penetrate too deeply inside her stomach, so there was a chance the child was unharmed.

"How bad is it?" She asked tearfully.

"It's not too bad at all." He said with a sigh of relief. "There is a chance our child will be okay."

The Boss smiled feebly at him while the contractions increased ten fold. And now, due to all the stress she was under, her bag of waters just burst. This child was going to be born right here.

"How is she?" The Pain asked kneeling by her side.

"She's fine." The Sorrow answered.

"Oh God!" The Boss shirked.

"She doesn't sound fine." The Pain replied.

"She's getting ready to have a baby." The Sorrow blurted out. "That's what's causing her distress right now."

"What?" The Pain asked.

Suddenly the Nazi's who had run off began to fire at the Cobra unit again. This was not good. With The Boss in labor and now needing surgery to remove the bullet, then the Nazi's beginning to regroup, this was a horrible seemingly hopeless situation.

"There's no time to explain!" He shouted past the sound to gun fire. "The Boss needs medical attention…"

"Forget about me!" She said. "Finish your mission that's your only priority."

"But Boss…" The Sorrow said.

"But nothing." She commanded. "You all must leave me and finish your mission."

"I won't leave you." The Sorrow said sternly.

"That's an order Sorrow." She said. "You are to finish the mission with the rest of the Cobra's."

"Stubborn woman!" The Sorrow shouted in Russian.

Pulling out his combat knife, The Sorrow started to cut open her jumpsuit so he could better see the gunshot wound and how he was going to remove the bullet. His hands were trembling so terribly that he couldn't concentrate and didn't cut in a straight line. Coupled with this, the three girdles she wore to hide her pregnancy didn't give way under his knife. So he cut a little deeper, unfortunately leaving a deep cut that stretched from her breasts to her torso.

"What the hell are you doing to me!" She screamed at him.

"I'm trying to remove your clothes so I can remove the bullet and save our child." He retorted.

The other members of the Cobra unit decided much like The Sorrow they would not abandon The Boss. They had to protect her even at the risk of the mission. So while The Sorrow tried valiantly to remove the bullet from The Boss, they fired back at the enemy forces that attacked them.

The Sorrow put a small piece of bark in The Boss's mouth as he continued on with the make-shift surgery. He could clearly see the bullet from the G33; it was lodged on the right side of her stomach. Taking his knife, The Sorrow slowly dug a small part of the knife into her stomach. The Boss whaled in pain. He was trying as hard as he could to be gentle, but hurting her couldn't be helped. He had to take the bullet out and then he would have to take the child out as well or they would both die.

Cautiously The Sorrow managed to get the knife just under the bullet. Pulling the knife upwards to unhinge shot from her flesh, he watched as the object, covered in blood, emerged from her torso and rolled onto the ground. Now that that horrible deed was completed, he had to now deliver the baby. Hopefully the bullet or the knife he use to remove the object hadn't penetrated too deeply and the child would be spared.

Taking a very deep breath, The Sorrow took the knife and made a deep incision to her lower torso. His hand trembled as he heard her screaming from the cut he made to her body. He had to choke back the tears that were welling in his eyes. He despised hurting her so much. With every cut to her body he made, it felt as though his own flesh was being slashed. But there was no other way; he had to do this to save the child.

Regaining his senses, The Sorrow took his hand and dug it into The Boss. He could feel the child inside her. Gently grabbing the child, he pulled. The wails of agony emitting from The Boss was enough to make any man's blood curl. This was the most painful ordeal she had ever been through. It felt as though her body was being torn apart. She could feel every movement of The Sorrow as he pulled the infant from her body.

The Sorrow continued to gently pull the child out of The Boss. The child's head was nearly out now all the remained was the rest of its body. It would be difficult, because the child appeared to be fairly large for a newborn. With all his might, The Sorrow gave one last pull and the child completely emerged from The Boss. Quickly The Sorrow clasped the child to his body to keep the poor thing from freezing. However, now he had to tend to The Boss's wounds or else she would die from exposure.

The Battle behind them was still raging and he couldn't ask one of the unit to help. They were already doing so much for them. Thinking quickly, The Sorrow removed his jumpsuit and wrapped the child up in it. Then he focused his attentions back to The Boss.

"Boss?" He questioned. "Are you…"

Spitting out the small branch he placed in her mouth, she answered feebly, "I'm not dead yet."

"Thank goodness." He replied.

"What about our child?" She asked. "How is our child?"

"Doing well." He answered.

Reaching his utility belt, which he still had around his waist, The Sorrow grabbed for his medical supplies and began to stitch up what he could of The Boss's wounds. But both she and their child would no doubt need medical attention, but how could he get them to a hospital. The nearest hospital had to be a few miles from here. His mind was spinning a mile a minute; so much so that he didn't even realize that the gunfire had stopped. The Cobra's had managed to destroy all the enemy forces in the area.

"How is she doing?" The End asked.

"I'm fine." She said softly. "But we won't be if we remain here."

"She's right." The Fear said. "We have to get them to the nearest hospital or medic tent."

"If we can get to the road." The Sorrow said. "Then we should be able to reach the town of Vire. There should be a hospital there. The Pain and The Fear take turns carrying The Boss. I'll make sure our child is safe."

The Fear picked up The Boss and carried her on his back while The Sorrow cradled their child in his arms and made a hasty retreat out of the forest of Cersy.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Four Days Later

Balleroy, Normandy

The Boss had been in a coma for four days since the birth of their child. After the unit left the forest of Cersy, The Boss had lost consciousness and had not opened her eyes since then. According to the doctors in Vire, she had a major infection coursing though her body, she also had lost an extreme amount of blood, and had a dangerously high fever. The child too needed medical attention. Being born out in the elements was not good. His temperature was a little too low for a newborn baby. They needed to keep his temperature up if he had any chance of survival.

The doctors in Vire did what they could for The Boss and the newborn baby boy, but with the war raging around them medical supplies were dangerously low. Their only chance for survival would be to transport both the mother and the child to a better equipped hospital. So the decision was made transport The Boss and the child to the larger hospital in Balleroy where they both got the medical attention they desperately needed.

For four days Sashenka watched over her, hoping that she would pull through this. She was such a strong woman to have endured all the hardships she suffered though; she had to pull though this, she just had too. He couldn't bare the thought of another woman he loved losing their life in childbirth. It was a hardship that he wasn't strong enough to endure for a second time.

Sashenka sat at her bedside cradling their son in his arms. At least if The Boss did die, he would still have their son who was healthy and grew stronger by the day. Thankfully neither the bullet that was fired into The Boss or the knife used to remove the slug had harmed him. It was by sheer luck that nothing had harmed Adam. According to the doctors who thoroughly sutured up The Boss's wounds, had the bullet gone another quarter inch inside her stomach, it would have penetrated though the womb and instantly killed the child.

Sashenka looked down at his son and smiled at Adam with pride. He was such a delightful baby, who looked remarkably like his mother. He wanted so desperately for her to wake up and see what a wonderful little child they had. He had the brightest blue eyes and such a happy little face. If only she would open her eyes and see him! She had to see him at least once.

The day waned slowly into nightfall, and still The Boss stirred not a muscle. The doctors who attended to her assured Sashenka that her fever was breaking and she was most definitely on the road to recovery, but with her laying there so still and silent, Sashenka had his doubts. He would only be assured of her recovery when she was conscious and full of life again.

As the last rays of daylight crept over the hillside, Sashenka placed the sleeping child onto the bed with his mother, so he could get a quick cat nap. For days he barely budged from the hard wooden chair he perched himself upon. Moving only to occasionally stretch his legs, eat, or use the restroom. He didn't want to leave her side for a moment for fear of missing her finally opening up those beautiful blue eyes.

Sashenka also didn't want to let go of his son either. He wanted him to be near her, so she could be the first sight she saw when she woke up. Against doctor's orders, he kept Adam by his side all day and night, letting the child sleep on his mother's stomach or in a small bassinet on the opposite side of The Boss's hospital bed.

After his birth out in the forest she didn't even get a chance to lay her eyes upon her child. Everything happened so fast out there, it wasn't time to stop and have a tender moment where she could look at their child and bond with him. If only they didn't have to make such a hasty exit, she could have at least seen her child once before she…

The thought of The Boss's death sent a terrible child down his spine and the tears began to roll out of his soft hazel eyes. He couldn't imagine her dying. He couldn't imagine living without her. What would happen to the Cobra's if she died. More importantly, what would happen to him and what would happen to little Adam? They both needed her. No child should grow up without knowing their mother's touch or their mother's love. Sure he would love Adam, but he needed to know both his parent's love and affection.

"Please Boss." He pleaded, clutching her motionless hand. "You have to wake up for Adam's sake. Please, open your eyes just once."

Crying to nearly the point of hysteria, Sashenka buried is head into the sheets that covered The Boss's body. He wanted so bad for her to wake up and yell, command, or do anything. But the fact that she just lays there not moving, doing nothing at all, that's what tears his heart into fine pieces of confetti.

This was all to much to bear; the last few days were draining both mentally and physically. He had been awake for days waiting and hoping she would get better, but his body couldn't take much more. Exhausted beyond anything he'd ever known, Sashenka fell into a deep sleep.

The first rays of light were just finding their way into the large infirmary room where Sashenka, The Boss, and Adam. Sashenka opened his hazel eyes and it was then he realized that he had fallen asleep with his glasses on. Thankfully, shy of a few smudges he could still see of them and they weren't broken. Removing the spectacles from his face to clean them with his shirttails; everything instantly was covered in blurry haze.

Slowly sitting upright in the chair, Sashenka leaned back and began to clean his glasses. As he was diligently cleaning them he could hear the war raging outside the hospital. The allied forces and the Nazi's must be in a bitter clash outside. The gun shots came seemingly one after the other. While the cannons fired of round after round of powerful explosives. They had to be at least two miles from here from the clear sounds of the gunfire.

Trying to block out the sounds from outside, Sashenka continued to diligently clean his glasses. They were more smudged then he anticipated. As he continued to clean, he focused his attentions to the sounds from inside the infirmary. He swore he could hear the sound of his son gently cooing. He looked up to see what the little boy was doing to sound so happy, but his vision without glasses was horrible. Anything that wasn't directly in front of his face appeared blurry and distorted.

Sashenka's curiosity got the best of him; he had to see why Adam was so happy this early in the morning. Putting on his glasses he looked and saw The Boss wide awake, nursing their child. In shock, he instantly stood up and sent the hard wooden chair crashing onto the floor.

The Boss looked over at the startled Sashenka and said with a gentle smile, "Good morning Sashenka."

"Bo-Boss?" He questioned. "Are you really…"

"Yes." She said softly. "I'm fine."

"When did you?"

"Wake up." She finished his sentence. "About two hours ago."

"Why didn't you wake me?" He asked.

"I tried to." She said. "But you were in too deep a sleep. How you could sleep though the sound of our child crying I will never know."

"Is he okay?" Sashenka asked.

"He's fine." She said looking down at him. "It took awhile for me to finally gain the strength to hold him in my arms, but I got the hang of it. Poor little thing, I think he was starving."

Finally gaining control of his nerves, Sashenka sat down on the bed next to The Boss. He didn't know whether to cry, to hold her, or run off and tell the doctors that she was finally awake. It was so good to finally see her beautiful blue eyes again, something that he swore he would never be able to do again.

Focusing his attentions on The Boss as she nursed their child, Sashenka wrapped his arms around her shoulders and watched intently. His heart felt as though it would burst. Both mother and child seemed to bond instantly, which was such a blessing.

For the first few days of his life, Adam only saw his mother sleeping. He couldn't be certain if the little boy would ever get to see his mother under normal circumstances and even if they did meet, he couldn't be assured of how both mother and child would react to one another. However all fears were allayed, they both appeared to be getting along just fine.

The sound of another cannon being fired blasted though the air outside. This one was close enough that it caused the windows of hospital to rattle. The Boss turned her attentions from her child to the window outside. She stared outside the window for a short time, but then returned her gaze to their little boy.

"Do you regret not being out there fighting Boss?" Sashenka asked.

"Somewhat." She said stroking the strands of soft blonde hair on Adam's tiny little head. "But this is where I want to be right now, with you and our little baby."

Sashenka smiled.

"He's such a beautiful baby Sashenka." She said with tears welling in her eyes.

"He is." He answered cuddling up closer to The Boss. "I think he looks exactly like his beautiful mother."

"Any way," She said quickly changing the subject. "Speaking of fighting, where are the others?"

"They finished the mission to destroy the V-2 rocket targets two days ago." He said sternly. "They took out all designated targets and met up with the rendezvous team in the west part of Balleroy."

"I see." She said gently pulling the now sleeping infant from her bosom. "Has anyone questioned our departure?"

"Yes." Sashenka said. "But I was told by The Fury the report given to the Allied generals about our departure was intentionally falsified to buy us sometime."

"What was the falsified information?"

"That we were both seriously injured and left to perish in the Cersy forest." Sashenka answered. "According to The Fury search teams have been looking for our bodies for the last two days."

"Oh." The Boss said calmly as she looked down at the face of their peacefully sleeping child.

The Boss was so happy to see that their child was so strong and healthy. He was born under such unusual circumstances, out in the middle of a battlefield. And considering she had been shot in the stomach, this little baby was lucky to even be alive right now. Looking down at his innocent little face, she knew instantly something had to change. She couldn't live so haphazardly anymore. This child would need his mother's love and affection. Not to mention, the child would need structure. She was a mother now, and for the sake of this child she would start acting more motherly.

"Boss," Sashenka started. "I will you marry me?"

The Boss turned away from their child and looked at Sashenka stunned.

"I promise I will be a good husband to you and a good father for Adam." He pleaded with her. "I will do anywhere you tell me Boss, I'll do anything you tell me… Just say you'll be my wife."

"Sashenka…" She stuttered. "I…"

"Please say yes Boss." He practically begged.

"Yes Sashenka." She said looking into his soft hazel eyes. "I will marry you."


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Three days had passed since The Boss had awakened from her coma. It was not easy for The Boss to adjust to the life of a mother, but she was making an effort. Adam remained at her bedside, even though the doctors were insisting that she wasn't strong enough to care for a child. Especially considering she was still recovering from the harsh and unusual circumstances under which he was born. But The Boss would not be swayed. She wanted Adam to remain at her side at all times. She loved being there when he needed her the most. And she especially enjoyed holding the sweet little child in her arms.

Every time she would cradle her son in her arms she had this overwhelming feeling inside her heart. She loved him dearly and didn't want to spend a second away from his side. And rarely ever did Adam leave her or Sashenka's side. Even when the doctors would take him for his daily examinations both she and Sashenka would be right there to comfort and console his tears.

Getting out of bed, The Boss walked down the long infirmary, out the doors and into the ladies room. Her entire body ached whenever she moved. According to the doctors her stitches were healing very well and much faster then anticipated, but they continued to cause her a very intense amount of discomfort. After emerging out of the stall, The Boss washed her hands and prepared to walk back to make the long painful trip the infirmary. But before she walked out of the bathroom, she looked at herself in the full length mirror.

A strange curiosity took a hold of The Boss. While she sometimes looked down to see the massive scar that now covered the length of her frame, she had never seeing it straight on. She was curious to know what it truly looked like, not from her eyes, but what it would look like from someone else's eyes. Opening up her hospital gown, she took a long look at the massive scar that covered her body.

The scar was absolutely shocking. It covered her entire frame, stretching from her lower torso up to and across one of her breasts. Her body had been permanently disfigured. Even after the sutures healed, this scar would remain forever. Placed her hand one of the stitches and she winced in pain. The scar was healing; however it was still very painful to the touch. But that same strange curiosity just compelled her to touch it; to make sure she wasn't still sleeping and that all the happiness and optimism she was experiencing now was not a dream.

Slowly running her fingers across each and every stitch, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it was, The Boss continued to focus on the scar. It looked nothing like anything she had ever seen before. True she had lots of scars on her body from various wars and conflicts, but nothing like this. Looking at the mark intensely, it reminded her of a snake that coiled around her body and threatened to squeeze the life from her body.

_Well, I guess this scar is penance for acting so foolishly._ She thought. _I will never act so irrationally again._

With a sigh, The Boss closed her hospital gown and returned to the infirmary. As she walked down the hallway, she saw Sashenka dancing happily as he carried Adam in his arms. While he was dancing with his infant son, The Boss saw that happy smile curved about Sashenka's thin lips. In all the time she had known him, she couldn't recall him looking so happy. This child was truly a blessing to them both. She couldn't help but smile at how much he burst with fatherly pride. Seeing him this way you would never believe that he was a member of the world's toughest military unit.

As Sashenka danced happily around with Adam in his arms, he saw The Boss watching them from a distance. So he stopped his joyful dance and walked over to The Boss.

"How much did you see?" He said looking at her sheepishly.

"Enough." She said taking the little boy out of his arms so she could hold him.

"Well, I can't help myself." He said. "I just adore our little Adamska. I can't wait until we take him back home."

The child nuzzled himself against his mother's breasts, which caused a sharp pain to rush through The Boss's body. No matter how painful it was to have Adam nuzzle against her, she did not wince or cry out. She loved for Adam to be so close to her, to bond with her. The pain she endured was no match for the love she felt for her beautiful little boy.

"I figured that since no one knows where we are," Sashenka said. "Once you leave the hospital we could return to the Soviet Union, back to my grandmother's farm. We could marry and would raise little Adamska as a family."

"I don't know Sashenka." She said apprehensively. "I have no intentions of abandoning my country."

"In that case we will live anywhere you wish Boss." He said. "As long as we can be together and raise our child, it does not matter where we call home."

The Boss gently rocked the child in her arms while Sashenka looked on with a happy smile.

"I am afraid I am going to have to leave you and little Adam for a few hours." He said softly.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"No." He replied. "I just want to get your engagement ring."

"Oh Sashenka." She said looking at him strangely. "You don't have to get me something like that."

"But I want to." He said. "I promise it will be a very simple yet beautiful ring."

"Well if you insist." She said looking at him strangely. "But be very careful when you venture out. There's still a bitter war raging out there, I want you to be very careful."

"I will Boss." He said softly as he gently caressed her alabaster cheek. "I will make sure I'm very careful."

Sashenka and The Boss share a tender glance for a moment until Adam started to cry. Breaking from their gentle stare, both parents tried valiantly to stop Adam sorrowful weeping. Sashenka even took the little chubby boy into his arms and gently rocked him in his arms, but he would not be swayed. The poor boy just wailed bitterly. Finally a nurse came and offered assistance to the couple, but nothing she tried stopped him from crying. Finally The Boss took Adam back into her arms and offered to put the little one to sleep next to her in the infirmary.

Sashenka followed her back to the infirmary and helped put Adam down to sleep. But even as both parents tucked him gently into the bassinet, the fussy child refused to stop crying. Gently rocking the cradle, The Boss hummed a soft tune which seemed to help soothe Adam's petulance. His horrible screams started to die down a little once she began to hum. After fifteen minutes of ear piercing shrieking, little Adam finally fell into a deep sleep.

"I didn't know you could sing?" Sashenka questioned.

"I rarely if ever sing anything." The Boss answered. "But I figured it may help Adam sleep if I at least tried."

Sashenka looked at The Boss and smiled. She was truly an amazing woman and she would be a good mother to their child. Reaching out his hand, Sashenka gently touched her cheek.

"I love you Boss." He said softly.

"I love you too Sashenka."

Getting up from his chair, Sashenka kissed The Boss tenderly, before leaving the infirmary to get her engagement ring. With Sashenka gone for a while and Adam safely sleeping in his crib, The Boss decided to take a short nap before taking her daily walk around the hospital. Today she would try to walk up to the fifth floor, but usually she could only make it up to the third floor before the pain became too intense. However, she was determined to try today, no matter how bad the pain got. She had to regain her strength if was going to go back into the war. Those few days she was unconscious caused her to grow weak and frail. She was determined to gain all her previous strength back.

Climbing into the hard hospital bed, The Boss pulled the white linen sheet over her body. It didn't take long for The Boss to fall into a deep sleep.

In what seemed like no time at all, The Boss's blue eyes opened. Yawning, she glanced over to check on Adam and to her horror his bassinet was gone. Sitting up instantly, she prepared to jump out of bed and question where her child had been moved to.

"You're still recovering Lilith." A man's voice said.

The Boss turned and looked at the man speaking.

"If you move too abruptly like that," The man continued. "Your stitches will pop right back open."

Looking at the man's face she knew exactly who he was. It was Seccare, one of the Philosopher's agents.

"So we meet again Lilith." The man said.

"Seccare." The Boss hissed bitterly.

"You do remember me." He said with a cruel smile. "I'm glad to see I am not so easily forgotten."

"How could I ever forget you?" She said with the same bitter tone.

"Still upset about me murdering your father after all these years." Seccare said smugly. "It wasn't anything personal, I was just following orders."

"Where's my child?" She questioned.

"Don't worry about Adam." He said calmly. "He is safe and will be well taken care of, just as you were Lilith; or should I say Boss?"

The Boss said nothing.

"I have to admit," Seccare said. "When The Philosophers told me what this assignment was for I was shocked, 'No, not little Lilith,' I said 'she would never be the type of woman to have a child'. And I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen that kid with my own two eyes. He's a mirrored image of you."

"You Bastard!" The Boss screamed.

She was about to lunge for Seccare's jugular, when pulled out a large handgun from under his black coat and held it up to The Boss's stomach. Powerless against him, The Boss swallowed her seething hatred.

"I see you still can't control that temper of yours." He said wickedly. "Just like that night when I killed your father."

The Boss was trembling with rage.

"Remember when you gave me these?" He said touching the long three scars that graced his right cheek. "It was the night I shot your beloved father. Mar and I were preparing to take you to the Philosopher school, but you wouldn't stop screaming. I was going to shut you up good, but you scratched me, quite deeply too. I would have blown your little eleven year old head off, if it hadn't been for the fact that Mar stopped me."

Seccare put the gun back under his coat. The Boss was shocked that he actually put his gun away. She thought for sure he was sent here to kill her.

"I would probably kill you right now if I didn't have orders to let you and the father of that little bastard live." He said contemptuously.

"Why are they letting us live?" She questioned.

"According to the Philosophers you and the Cobra Unit you created have proven to be indispensable during this war." He said softly. "It would not be prudent to relinquish your services at this time."

Seccare slicked back his long dark hair then walked over to the window.

"Why did they take him?" The Boss asked trying to choke back the tears that were welling up in her blue eyes.

"You know the answer to that one." He said turning around to face her, with his dark eyes burning into her soul. "Adam is the only grandson of the Philosophers, they want to raise and train him to be the best agent in the world."

The Boss couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Her worst fear was coming true. Her child was in the cruel hands of the Philosophers and there was nothing she or Sashenka could do about it. If only she hadn't have fallen asleep, she could have prevented this from happening, or at the very least put up a good fight for him.

"Don't be sad Boss." Seccare said feigning sympathy. "Adam will have the best of everything; the best education and the best training money can buy. He'll be able to see the world and learn things most children can only dream about."

The Boss said nothing.

"I'd better go." Seccare said turning to walk out of the infirmary. "You know Boss, for years I was bitter about these scars you left on me. For years I plotted on how I would pay you back, but I think now we're even."

The Boss looked down and saw the top half of that massive scar and her heart nearly shattered.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Sashenka walked though the door of the hospital beaming with happiness. It took him far longer then he had expected, but he found the perfect ring for The Boss. It was just what he was looking for; something beautiful yet simple. The ring was solid silver, with a lone sapphire stone in the middle. It was so elegant yet so simplistic; he was hoping that she would like it.

Practically running though the halls of the hospital, Sashenka was anxious to give her his engagement ring. This time, he would propose in a more traditional way. He would get down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage. Then he would slip the ring onto her delicate finger as she joyfully accepted… It would be a joyous scene.

Throwing open the doors to the infirmary, Sashenka looked around for The Boss. She wasn't in her bed, nor was the bassinet sitting by the bed. His eyes began to desperately survey the room, when finally he saw her standing by the window. He ran over to her.

"Boss," He said softly as he walked up behind her. "There you are. I thought for a moment you went to take Adamska for his daily doctor visit."

The Boss said nothing to Sashenka.

"Where's Adamska?" Sashenka asked looking around the room. "I don't see his bassinet."

"He's gone." She said coldly.

"He's what?" He said sounding confused.

"He's gone Sashenka." The Boss answered cruelly.

"He can't be gone." Sashenka said in disbelief. "Gone where?"

"They took him." She said cryptically. "He's somewhere where we can't get to him."

"Who took him?"

"Does it matter who took him?" She said angrily.

"Yes it does." He snapped back.

"The Philosophers have him!" She screamed. "We'll never see him again."

"But…" Sashenka choked. "That can't be true."

"Yes it's true!" She said turning to Sashenka with this cold distant look in her blue eyes. "You have to accept the fact we'll never see him again Sashenka."

"I don't believe you." He said angrily. "You're going to give up on our child that easily? You who are The Boss, the strongest and toughest solider in the world."

"I may be The Boss." She hissed. "But I know when I'm beat."

"That can't be true Boss." He said. "There must be a way to defeat them."

She didn't answer him.

"So you're just going to let our child disappear as if he never existed?" He answered coldly. "Don't you love him, even a little bit?"

"Damn it Sashenka!" She shouted. "It's over! Adam is gone! We will never ever see him again."

Sashenka looked at her sorrowfully. She looked nothing like he had ever seen before. She looked so broken, so defeated; as if the fire had been drained from her once happy blue eyes. But he couldn't wrap his mind around this strange new behavior. He couldn't understand why she was willing to give up so easily. Didn't she love Adam? Didn't she find him worth fighting for?

There was nothing he could do. In her current frame of mind it would be impossible to convince her of getting their son back from the hands of the Philosophers. So it was with a deep sigh Sashenka too gave up and said dejectedly, "Suit yourself."

Reaching into his pants pocket he pulled out the tiny box and placed it on the floor beside her. Then he turned and walked out of the infirmary. The Boss saw the tiny box and she picked it up. Pulling the bright red ribbon off of it, she opened and saw the beautiful ring he had chosen for her. Instantly her heart felt heavy and the tears began to pour from her eyes.

This was exactly what she feared the most. The Philosopher's had taken their child and she was powerless to help him. Now her sins, her follies as well as her father's sins would be visited upon Adam. It was a seemingly endless cycle of despair and destruction, just as The Philosophers willed it.

Poor Adam was now alone in the world, with no one to comfort or console his tears. No one to give him proper encouragement or support when he was feeling down. No one to show him the love and affection that all children need in life. But even worse then that, he would never know anything about the parents who loved him dearly, who would sacrifice anything for him. Now he would grow up knowing only the cold cruel will of the Philosophers. Sobbing deeply, The Boss clutched the small box tightly in her hands and fell to her knees.

Hours passed. Sashenka had not returned from wherever he disappeared to, but The Boss didn't care. She actually preferred not to see him given the current unfortunate turn of events. The Boss laid in bed, her vacant blue eyes gazing aimlessly out the window. Even though Adam was gone and had been for awhile now, her mind reeled about ways she could possibly get him back, but all her plans were useless. The Philosophers would do everything imaginable to keep her and Sashenka away from him. It was pointless; there was nothing either of them could do to get him back. Adam was gone from their lives forever.

The Boss was in a deep despair that threatened to shift her over the brink. The Philosophers had now taken a second man from her life. First they had taken her father and now her newborn son. Damn the Philosophers for doing this a second time! When would she ever be free of them and their tyranny?

Continuing to stare blankly out the window, The Boss was so mired down in her own deep despair that she didn't see the members of the Cobra Unit walking up to her bedside. They were all carrying flowers for The Boss and a little toy for her baby. Also each member had a smile curved about their lips. It was really unusual to seem them all smiling, but today was a day for joy and celebration.

The Cobra's hadn't seen The Boss in a week and they were all curious as to know how she was doing. Moreover they were curious to see how her child was bearing up. It still baffled them how they could have overlooked The Boss carrying a child for so long without so much as a word to any of them. Out there in Cersy forest everything happened so quickly, that when The Sorrow said she was going into child-labor they didn't have time to fully comprehend the news let alone have a reaction to it.

But now that some time has passed and they had time to mull everything over, they were pleased to hear The Boss had become a mother. But it was a role she was already accustomed to before she had the child. It was she who prepared them for battle, she trained and fought alone side each of them. She would defend them all to the death if she had to. Yes she was a mother to each member of the Cobra unit, the best mother anyone could as for.

"Boss." The End said getting her attention.

Turning her sorrowful gaze from the window to acknowledge who was speaking to her, The Boss saw all the happy smiling members of her unit and her countenance brightened up somewhat.

"Gentlemen." She said sitting up in her bed. "What are you all doing here?"

"We have come to make sure you are okay Boss." The Fear said. "We also came to meet the smallest member of our prestigious unit."

The Boss said nothing to The Fear's comment.

"How have you been Boss?" The End said sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I've been better." She answered softly.

"I know how difficult childbirth was for you." He said gently touching her hand. "But you'll get better soon enough. Here, these are for you."

The Boss took the flowers The End had brought for her stared at them thoughtfully. It was nice of him to bring her this bouquet of white daisy. In fact, all the members of the unit brought her flowers. The Fear brought her white rosemary, The Pain brought her purple orchid, and The Fury brought her red roses. The all laid the beautiful plants on the small table that stood beside her infirmary bed.

"So where is the child?" The Fear asked. "We have gifts for him as well."

"He…" The Boss broke off, choking her own words. "He's dead."

"What?" The Fury asked. "When did this happen?"

"This morning." She said fighting desperately against the tears that started to well up in the corners of her blue eyes. "There was nothing I could do…"

The Boss couldn't hold back any longer; she began to sob silently as the others looked on helplessly.

"Boss." The End started softly. "I am sorry for you loss. But you're young. You can bear more children."

"No." The Boss said trying pull to herself together. "I will never have another child."

"I see…" The End said sorrowfully.

For a moment they all stood motionless and silent. They didn't know how to comfort The Boss during this time of terrible grief. They had never seen her cry before, so it was shocking and heartbreaking to watch their fearless leader breakdown so bitterly. None of them knew what to say or how to react.

"Don't be sad Boss." The Pain said. "We'll be your sons from now on."

The Boss stopped sobbing and looked up at The Pain strangely.

"Yes." The Fear chimed in. "We will protect you and always be by your side."

Taking the vase that his orchid said in and dumping the water and flower into a nearby empty bedpan, The Pain pulled out his combat knife sliced open his hand and let the blood drip into the vase. The others pulled out their knives and followed The Pain's lead. The Boss was completely shocked. They loved and adored her so much that they were willing to swear a blood allegiance to her. They were truly her sons.

"We all swear to honor and protect The Boss until our dying breath?" The Pain asked.

"We swear." The other's answered without hesitation.

"Boss." He said handing the vase to her. "We have sworn this blood oath to you. We will fight and protect you from now until the end of our days."

New tears began to well in The Boss's eyes, but this time they were not tears of sadness, they were tears of happiness. The Cobra's were now officially not just a unit, but a family. As loving and caring as any family would be.

"Thank you." The Boss said humbly accepting the vase. "I couldn't ask for better sons then you."


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Vienna, Virginia

August, 1944

A few months had passed since The Boss was released from the hospital in Balleroy. In the months following her discharge from the hospital, The Boss had received word from the three generals that The Cobra Unit would be placed on indefinite reprieve from all missions. They were all no doubt reeling from the news of The Boss's pregnancy and birth. The reprieve was probably a way of punishing her for not coming forth with the news herself.

She wanted desperately to return to battle, to take her mind off of loosing Adam to the Philosophers. Stepping back onto the battlefield would be exactly what she needed to clear her thoughts. Since her return, she realized how lonesome it was here without Sashenka or their bonny baby boy. After the news that Adam had been abducted by the Philosopher's, Sashenka disappeared without a trace. The other members of the Cobra Unit looked for him for a time, but he was nowhere to be found. She missed his friendship dearly and would think about him often. Knowing how bitterly disappointed in her he was about losing their child, she resigned herself to possibly never see him again.

Sighing, The Boss got out of bed and walked downstairs. A terrible storm once again passed though the area. Thunder crashed stridently outside as the streaks of bright blue lightening flashed brilliantly in the dreary dark skies. Ignoring the sounds of the dreaded tempest outside her front door, The Boss went into the kitchen to get a light snack before attempting to go back to sleep for the night. Going into her ice box, The Boss pulled out a few pieces of turkey, some cheese, and then walked over to her pantry to pull out some bread. After assembling her sandwich, The Boss put the meal on a tiny plate and began to walk back up to her bedroom.

Before she could begin to climb the stairs, there came a heavy pound on her front door. Placing the sandwich on a nearby table, she peeked outside to see who could possibly be knocking this time of night. Realizing it was a currier The Boss opened the door for the soaked young man.

"Are you The Boss?" The young man questioned.

"Yes." She said barely hearing the boy's question because the storm was so dreadful. "Yes I am."

"This is an urgent message for you Ma'am."

The Boss walked over into her parlor quick and grabbed money for the drenched young man. Dashing back out to the foyer, she handed the young man his tip, before taking the letter from him. The young man thanked graciously her for the generous tip she had given her then bade her goodnight. Meanwhile, The Boss proceeded to grab her sandwich and walked upstairs with the letter.

Putting her sandwich on the night stand near her bed, The Boss climbed back into her soft bed and pulled the sweet smelling white linen sheets over her body. As she nuzzled herself between the fluffy white pillows, she opened up envelope that housed her urgent message. It must have been something fairly serious if they sent someone out in this appalling weather to deliver it.

Dear Boss,

It is I, Sashenka. I am at a loss of what to say to you Boss. There is so much that I want to explain to you, but first I should apologize for abandoning you when you needed me most. I should have stayed by your side and helped you though that difficult period. It's just that when you said our son was gone and we would never see him again, I couldn't handle that heart wrenching news. I love our son and I love you. I will love the both of you until the end of time. I would do anything to reverse the turmoil of that day, but there are some things that go beyond my powers.

Secondly, I want beg you and the Cobra Unit for forgiveness. My behavior was completely inexcusable. I not only abandoned you, but my comrades as well. They too no doubt hate me for causing all this trouble for the unit. I don't blame any of you if would prefer that I never return to the Cobra Unit, but I must ask you all to forgive me for my actions.

And lastly, I will be returning to the United States Wednesday August 16th. I have spent too much time away from all the people and things I love and care about. If you do not wish to see me again I would not blame you nor would I hold it against you, but I must see you just one more time. You will be the first person I will visit when I return. Refuse me if you must, but I just want to see your beautiful face one last time.

Until we meet again,

Sashenka

The Boss looked at the letter one more time to check the day of Sashenka's arrival. Wednesday August 16th was tomorrow, which didn't leave her much time to get everything ready for his arrival. Putting the letter down and picking up her sandwich, The Boss thought about the contents of the message.

When she thought about how he just left her in the hospital, it made her a little angry. It also bothered her that he just abandoned the unit without so much as a goodbye, but she understood his feelings and knew the reason behind it. Yes some of his actions did make her contemplate never seeing him again, but she was reluctant part ways with him. His friendship was invaluable to her and she couldn't bear the thought of loosing the deep binding friendship they shared. No matter how hard she tried, she would not refuse to see him.

The rain continued on heavily during the early morning part of the next day. The bitter thunder storms were replaced by blinding rain which poured from the sky in large torrents. However it wasn't the sound of rain that woke The Boss up from her sleep. It was the sound of banging at her front door. Tossing the sheets off her body, The Boss quickly got out of bed and dashed to the front door.

"Sashenka?" She said sounding completely surprised as she pulled open the door.

"Boss…" He smiled feebly; he didn't know what to say to her.

"I knew you were coming," She said still shocked he was actually standing in front of her. "But I didn't know you would be this early."

"So you got the message I sent." He said softly. "That's good; I was worried you would not get it in time."

"Please." She said kindly. "Come in."

"Thank you." He said softly walking into the foyer.

The Boss closed the front door and ushered him into the parlor. Sitting down on the big blue sofa, The Boss found herself absolutely mesmerized by the fact that Sashenka had finally come back.

"Boss," Sashenka started instantly. "I want to thank you for not turning me away. I know it must have worried you, when I disappeared from the Balleroy."

"It did." She said. "Where did you go?"

"I went back to Russia." He said. "I went back to my grandmother's farm."

"I see."

"I needed some time to think." He said sorrowfully. "And that's exactly what I did. I thought about you, Adam, the Philosophers… I thought about everything. And at first, I…"

He sighed but then continued, "At first I blamed you for loosing Adam, but I know it wasn't your fault. I know now there was nothing you could have done to save him."

"Sashenka…"

"Please let me finish Boss." He said interrupting her. "I fully understand now about the choices and the sacrifices you have had to endure. I don't blame you at all for what happened. But know this, I love you and I love our child. I will never give up looking for him."

Sashenka sat down next to her and stared deeply into her blue eyes, then said "And I will never, ever stop loving you."

The Boss's heart melted. She still loved him despite all the hardship and all the turmoil. His words, his honesty meant more to her then anything else in the world. It takes a very brave man to admit his shortcomings and apologize for them. He truly did love her as she loved him. Smiling softly at him, tears began to run down The Boss's alabaster cheeks. Brushing them gently away, Sashenka leaned in and kissed The Boss's mouth gently.

A few hours later The Boss found herself snuggled up in Sashenka's arms as the pair lay silently in bed. Looking down at The Boss, Sashenka smiled brightly.

"We really have to stop doing this Sashenka." The Boss said softly.

Sashenka grinned but said nothing. The Boss let go of Sashenka and slipped under the soft warm blankets. Rolling over onto his side, and brushed the strands of soft light brown hair off her brow as he stared deeply into her enchanting blue eyes. The Boss turned her eyes away from his penetrating gaze.

"I'm serious," She said sternly. "We can't do this anymore. I don't want to ever have another child."

"I see." He said sorrowfully.

Realizing that her harsh words hurt his feelings, The Boss sat up on the headboard and folded her arms across her chest.

"It's just that I know that no matter what I do, where I go, any child I have will be taken away from me by the Philosophers. I couldn't bear to go though that again."

Sashenka sat up next to her and looked at the earnest yet miserable glance in her eyes. He could tell that she did still love him, but their love wasn't enough to overcome all the hardship she endured. Seeing that defeated unhappy gaze practically made Sashenka's heart tear in two. Turning away from her sad eyes, Sashenka's hazel eyes drifted to the horrible scar that trailed down her once flawless body; a scar he created when he was trying to bring their son into the world. As his eyes traced the length of her scar, his heart sank deep inside him. That scar would forever be apart of her, a constant remind of the child the both lost. It was little wonder that she never wanted to have another child.

Regaining his wits, Sashenka said softly, "I understand Boss. But I nothing will ever stop me from loving you."

The Boss smiled at him then sunk back down under the covers.

"Sashenka?" She questioned.

"Yes Boss."

"Out of curiosity," She questioned softly. "What would you do if you found Adam?"

"I would unite all of us." He said with reverent smile. "And I would want us to live as a family."

The Boss closed her eyes and envisioned what it would be like if they could be reunited with Adam so they could live as a normal happy family. Sashenka would be a good and loving husband and father and despite all her apprehensions she thought she would make a kind and loving wife and mother. This was a happy dream, one that filled her with unbelievable joy, alas, it was not meant to be. But it was still a very happy thought.

With her blue eyes still closed and a happy smile curved about her lips, The Boss said softly, "That's what I would want too."


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

Chapter Twenty-One

October, 1944

Washington, DC

The Boss and The Sorrow walked down the hallway of the military base on their way to resume training with the rest of the Cobra Unit. The Sorrow's apprehension hung heavy in the air. He had not seen any of the Cobras since shortly before The Boss was transferred from the hospital in Vire to Balleroy. They all were no doubt disgusted with him and all the trouble he had managed to cause. The thought of looking at their disappointed and disgusted faces filled The Sorrow with horror. If it wasn't for the fact that The Boss continued to stand up for him after he abandoned her, he wouldn't have the courage to face them now.

But deep in his heart he knew he had to see the Cobras again. He had to apologize for his actions and couldn't leave the unit without at least attempting to explain his actions. Besides, maybe if The Boss found it in her heart to forgive him, then maybe the others would be just as compassionate. A million thoughts and scenarios played out in The Sorrow's mind. His optimistic side told him that everything would be fine once he apologized and explained himself. However his pessimistic side knew that the Cobra's would be difficult, if not impossible to sway.

The Boss looked over at The Sorrow; despite his outward stern appearance she knew he was nervous to be reunited with the Cobras and with good reason. Ever since his sudden departure, the others seemed to speak of him with contempt and hatred in their voices. The Boss tried to tell them not blame him for leaving, but it did little to quell the disgust they felt. After all, they were a family and good sons don't abandon their loving mother. She had tried to defend The Sorrow, but their opinions were very strong. They would no doubt be a difficult group to convince.

The pair walked up to the door of the firing range, but paused before walking in. The Sorrow's heart pounded frantically inside his chest. Never before had he been so nervous, but he knew this was something he had to do regardless of their forgiveness or not. The Boss looked at The Sorrow and gave him a reassuring smile. She had no idea what was going to happen, but at least everything would be out in the open.

"The Sorrow," She said softly. "I'm going to go in to prepare them since they have no idea we're doing this."

"They don't?" He said practically turning green at this revelation.

"It's okay." She reassured him. "I couldn't be certain if they would come knowing you would be here, so I told them we would be training today."

The Sorrow said nothing.

"I want you to wait here while I get them ready." The Boss said. "When I call for you come in with your head held high."

"Yes Boss."

The Boss walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Neither of them could tell how the others would react to the news that The Sorrow had come here to ask for their forgiveness. All they could do was hope for the best.

Propping himself against the wall, The Sorrow stood outside the door and tried to listen to the conversation inside. He could hear everything The Boss said clearly. She must really love him dearly if she still continued to intercede on his behalf like this. The kind things she said about him brought a smile to his face and allayed some of his fears. However against this sweet and sincere tone, she also carried a sternness in her voice. She asked them repeatedly to listen to what he had to say with a fair and reasonable mind. That the choice he made to suddenly vanish was due to the loss of their child. It had nothing to do with the unit or the members of the Cobras as individuals.

Finally after a few minutes the door to the training room opened and The Boss asked The Sorrow to step into the room. Taking a deep breath in, The Sorrow did exactly what he said he would, held his head high as he stepped sternly into the room. The others looked at The Sorrow, mostly in disbelief that he actually came here to ask for their forgiveness.

"I." The Sorrow started. "I wanted to apologize to you all for leaving the unit the way I did."

The others stared at him in silence.

"I also wanted to ask you all for your forgiveness."

The others still said nothing to The Sorrow.

"Hey!" The Boss said. "The Sorrow asked you a question. Will you forgive him or not?"

The Fear looked at the others and they all silently agreed that he would be the spokesman for the rest of the unit.

"I think we all understand his reasoning why he came back today." The Fear said softly. "But why did he leave you Boss? I think we all need to know why he abandoned you."

The Boss and The Sorrow looked at each other, they knew it was time for them to come clean about their relationship, their child, everything. They couldn't hide their secrets from the rest of the Cobra's now. Their honesty would be the only thing that could redeem The Sorrow and bring him back into their good graces.

"It's okay." The Sorrow said tenderly to her. "I'll tell them."

The Sorrow turned his gaze back to the rest of the Cobra unit and began to explain.

"I abandoned The Boss because I blamed her for loosing our child." He said. "I went back to Russia, to the place where I had grown up as a child and I thought for a few weeks. It was selfish of me. It was cruel to leave her when she needed me the most, but she understood why I did it."

"And why didn't you tell us about your relationship?" The Fury blurted out.

"Because he swore to me that their private relationship wouldn't interfere with our unit." The Fear interjected.

"You knew about them?!" The Fury questioned sounding completely shocked.

The Fear nodded his head.

"I see." The Fury conceded instantly. "I can understand about keeping your personal relationship a secret, but the whole time you were expecting Boss… Going on all those dangerous missions while carrying a child inside you; you could have told us about that."

"I couldn't let anyone besides The Sorrow know." She said softly. "I knew if anyone else knew about this child there would be grave consequences."

"But we would have protected you." The Pain said. "With our lives if necessary."

"I know you all are loyal to me." The Boss said. "But I could not have you risk your lives for the sake of The Sorrow and myself. Our relationship is not anyone's responsibility but ours. I wouldn't ask any of you to put your lives in jeopardy for our sake."

"With all this being said," The End asked. "With your child being dead…"

"Dead?!" The Sorrow questioned. "Our child isn't dead. Is that what you told them Boss?"

"Yes." She said sternly. "I don't want them anymore mixed up in our mess then they already are."

"But our child isn't dead!" The Sorrow said frantically.

"What happened to him?" The End questioned.

"Don't tell them The Sorrow!" The Boss commanded.

"We have to be honest here Boss." He said walking over to her and looking deeply into her stern blue eyes. "Keeping secrets is what's gotten us into this whole fiasco."

The Boss turned away from his gaze, but she knew he was right.

"Adam." The Sorrow said softly. "Our son was abducted from the hospital in Balleroy."

"Abducted by who?" The Pain asked.

"By The Philosophers."

No sooner had The Sorrow mentioned The Philosophers, the mood in the room suddenly dropped. The Philosophers were something they all vaguely knew about. There were all kinds of rumors about The Philosophers spread throughout the world. Stories about how with one proclamation they could completely obliterate an entire country; to stories of them creating entire armies to protect the members of their mysterious committee. However one thing was certain, they were a highly formidable force to contend with.

"Do either of you know where he is?" The End asked.

The Boss didn't answer.

"No." The Sorrow said. "For a few days after I left Balleroy I tried to pursue him, but the trail went cold."

"Then we'll set out to find him." The Fear said.

"Yes!" The Pain chimed in. "We'll find him and bring him back to you both."

All the members of the Cobra unit began to perk up as the started to talk about plans on how to retrieve Adam from the hands of The Philosophers.

"Stop it!" The Boss screamed.

They all stopped and stared at The Boss

"Listen." She said with tears starting to stream from her eyes. "I don't want any of you going after Adam."

"But Boss…" The Sorrow said.

"I would do anything to get our child back, but if we go after him with guns blazing, you'll all be killed, I'll be tortured and force to watch as they kill my child, and then they'll kill me." She said trembling. "I can't allow that to happen to him."

The Sorrow gently grabbed The Boss and held her close to his body while she wept softly.

"I love my beautiful baby boy," She said tenderly. "But I want him to at least have a chance at life. He deserves a chance to live."

"Hush Boss." The Sorrow said softly caressing her head. "It's all right. We won't do anything to jeopardize the life of our child."

The others watched in awe as The Sorrow and The Boss held and consoled each other, it was then they truly understood the depth of their love for one another as well as the tragedy that their love for each other held.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Berlin, Germany

May 2, 1945

Nearly a year had passed since Adam was abducted by the Philosophers, but slowly life began to go back to normal for The Boss as well as the rest of the Cobra Unit. Shortly after everyone had forgiven The Sorrow, the group was sent out on a new mission and they were all once again thrust into the theater of war. In that time, however, the Nazi army was beginning to weaken. Their strangle-hold on Europe was beginning to crumble and the war would soon be over and not a moment to soon. Hitler had long kept the people of Europe in fear and it was well past the time for the madness to come to an end.

On this particular mission the Cobra Unit was sent to find the furor himself, bring him to justice, and demand the unconditional surrender of Germany to the Allies. The generals made it very clear that they did not want Hitler dead. To capture him alive and use him as an example would serve a far greater purpose then killing him outright. The Boss had to make sure the murderous bastard would have to live long enough to be brought into Allied custody. However, if he was anything like Clößner, Ahren, or any other Nazi pigs she'd dealt with in the past, he would not be so willing to admit defeat, especially admitting defeat to a woman. This, no doubt was going to be a long and dangerous mission.

As expected, the battle to the center of Berlin was arduous and wrought with peril. The remaining Nazi armies, which were comprised of mostly young children, were dangerous fighters. They had very little if any training and their battle style was haphazard and sloppy. But that was to be expected under the circumstances. In Hitler's desperation he demanded all able-bodied males to fight. How anyone could call up teenaged boys and thrust them into battle without giving them the proper training was just asinine to The Boss. Maybe everything she had heard about him was true, maybe the revelation that he was going to lose the war had drove him over the edge, but that was still no excuse for sending these children out here to be slaughtered like animals.

Hours after crossing into Berlin the Cobras stormed into the chancellery, only to find most of it ransacked and nearly decimated. Some of the quarters had been set ablaze by the Nazi army and many of Hitler's staff had either fled or were lying dead upon the ground. But according to The Sorrow Hitler private quarters were below ground. So taking his advice the unit entered the so-called Führerbunker only to find the leader of the Nazi army as well as a large majority of his staff dead, all having ended their own lives.

The Boss's disgust was profound. He called up the children to fight his war, and then abandon's them to face an uncertain future. Any of the young men she saw out there could easily be Adam when he became that age. Thinking of Adam instantly made The Boss's heart sink. But now wasn't the time for reproach, she and the Cobra's still had a mission to complete. However she also knew that the Cobra Unit could not destroy any of these young children they faced, but it wasn't easy. While they're orders would now change, they still had a mission to finish, and that would be to capture any high ranking Nazi general and demand the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich and obliterate anyone who challenged them. Most certainly the soldiers had their orders to kill anyone who threatened the city. It was a vicious cycle and one of the harsh realities of war.

With Hitler and his staff dead, there was nothing that could be done here. They had to find another general and force him to surrender. The Cobras left the chancellery and continued cautiously through the city. The streets of Berlin were desolate, save for the few Nazi soldiers that tried valiantly to defend what was left of their army. The war was most definitely drawing to a close and the Nazi's power base was crumbling by the second. In addition to the utter chaos the Red Army would sweep through here in a few days and raise complete hell. They were out for revenge for all the casualties taken in this war and their revenge would be most assuredly brutal and bloody. Everything around them was desperate, but The Boss had to remain in control. She was determined to finish her mission by any means necessary.

The sun was beginning to wane and soon the blackness of night would cast its shadow over the city of Berlin. It would be much too dangerous to make camp outside in the open, so they would have to find somewhere to shelter themselves for the night. Thankfully, the first building they had come across was abandon; the Cobras decided this would be the best place to set up camp for the night as well as try to come up with a plan to conclude their mission.

"The city of Berlin is a wash gentleman." The Boss said sternly, but without a trace of defeat in her voice. "However I'm certain there is another high ranking official nearby. Hitler may have died, but I know the will of the remaining Nazi army has not. Sorrow, can you get information on the location of any platoons in this area?"

"It may take awhile." The Sorrow said sternly. "But I can most certainly try."

"Good." She said. "We'll set up camp here for the night. According to the intelligence I was given, the Red Army will come storming in from the east by the eight or the ninth we have to be finished our mission by then."

"I will have intelligence on the nearest platoon by no later then sunrise Boss." The Sorrow said sternly.

"Very well," She said. "The Fear, you will accompany The Sorrow on his recon mission…"

"There is no need." The Sorrow said. "It would be better if I went on my own."

"Are you certain?" The Boss questioned.

"Yes." He said. "I will be fine on my own."

"Then I'll leave you to your mission."

The Sorrow nodded and prepared to walk outside. The sky was ablaze with fire from the chancellery and several nearby buildings. It was further illuminated by the glorious sun slowly sinking under the violent horizon. It was a at the same time both beautiful and sorrowful. As The Sorrow opened the door to venture out, the smell of smoke crept into the room in which the rest of the Cobras sat. The Boss looked at The Sorrow sternly and he smiled back at her. He knew under that severe glare she was worried to death about him, but his gentle smile reassured her for a moment, however it was extremely dangerous to venture outside, but he had no choice. The only way he would find any remaining platoons would be to talk to any dead souls that lingered on. Without even saying goodbye, The Sorrow closed the door behind him and walked casually down the street as though it were a quite peaceful night in Berlin.

Everywhere around him there was chaos. The sound of machine guns echoing around him, the stifling smell of smoke, the rumble of bombs and cannons as they leveled buildings in the distance, that icy hollow metallic sound that passing airplanes made as they whizzed by. But more unsettling then these sounds were the screams of women and children in their homes cowering in fear and the sounds of men crying out in agony as bullets sliced through their tender flesh instantly ending their lives. It was those sounds that send chills up and down The Sorrow's spine.

Ignoring the unsettling sounds The Sorrow continued down the streets of Berlin. His nose burned with the smell of blood and death, but there were no spirits that lingered here, which he thought was very peculiar. With the end of the war raging around him, one would think there would be many spirits lurking, but there was no one except for the flicker of ancient spirits that wondered the city aimlessly. These were the souls of people who died long ago and knew nothing of the battle that raged around them. Some of them were so old that he could barely see them let alone hear them speak. Trying to extract information from them would be useless.

The Sorrow continued to amble down the street as if nothing was going on around him. As far as he could see there wasn't any one around no soldiers on either the Allied or the Axis side. No civilians, which if they had any sense should evacuate before things get really bad. Not even a stray animal all this seemed very odd indeed.

The Sorrow continued his journey, venturing down a street that was recently leveled by colossal explosion. Suddenly he saw in the smoldering ash the figure of a soldier brandishing a machine gun. The Sorrow paused for a split second and was about to reach for his handgun, but he stopped and continued to walk closer to the soldier. The soldier pulled the trigger of his machine gun screaming German expletives at The Sorrow, but none of his bullets penetrated his skin or even came close to him. The Sorrow, no longer afraid of his opponent, came face to face with the soldier but did not say a word to him.

"In the name of the Fuehrer I must ask you to surrender." The soldier said sternly.

"How do you know I'm not German?" The Sorrow asked.

"You're not wearing the sign of the Third Reich." He answered back. "Now surrender and come with me."

The Sorrow pulled his gun out from the holster, tossed it onto the ground, and then threw his hands up in the air.

"What other weapons do you have?" The soldier asked.

Without a word The Sorrow pulled out his combat knife and tossed that onto the ground in front of him.

"You foreign spies are all the same?" The soldier said contemptuously. "Who are you with; the Russians, the British, the French Resistance, or the Americans?"

The Sorrow didn't answer.

"I asked you a question?" The soldier said getting angry. "Who are you working for?"

The Sorrow still did not answer his question.

"Well." He began bitterly. "You may be silent now, but when I return you to General Dönitz he will force you to talk and tell us who you're working with."

The soldier pointed the barrel of his machine gun towards The Sorrow leading him further down the back alley and down the fire lighted path to a cul-de-sac full of destroyed burning buildings and an awaiting regimen of men. The Sorrow marched along until he came face to face with the platoon of Nazi soldiers. Without fear The Sorrow stood and waited silently for the General Dönitz to appear. The young man, not moving his machine gun, stepped cautiously in front of The Sorrow, not moving his dark eyes off of him.

"This spy was walking around when I captured him." He said sternly speaking to a commanding officer.

"Very good." The officer replied happily. "As soon as we get word from headquarters we will have this man thrown in prison. Your work will be highly rewarded."

The young solider beamed with pride at his commanding officer's words. He could barely contain his joy. The Sorrow glanced at the young solider and then turned his attentions to back to the commanding officer, who was also very young. For a commander he couldn't have been more then twenty years old and even still he had to have been the oldest one here. This was quite a sad site to see. The Sorrow watched everything that was going on around him but said nothing as he just stood there and continued to listen to their sidebar conversation. Finally after a few minutes the commanding officer turned his attentions to The Sorrow.

"What is your name prisoner?" The commander asked.

The Sorrow did not answer his question.

"I said what is your name?" He asked again.

"Are you General Dönitz?" The Sorrow asked boldly.

The officer laugh sarcastically. How dare this foreign bastard come in a ask questions of a high ranking Nazi officer, especially in the current situation he was in. Walking close to The Sorrow the sarcastic smile dropped from his face and was replaced by a look of disdain; the officer then pulled out his gun and held it to The Sorrow's temple. The Sorrow did not flinch or move a muscle as the Nazi officer stared coldly into his eyes.

"Who do you think you are?" The officer questioned.

The Sorrow again did not answer, but he did stand his ground with the commander. The Sorrow was not afraid of this man nor was he afraid of the current situation. He just remained calm and collected as the commander tried to assert his dominance over him. Angered by The Sorrow's lack of apprehension the officer pulled the trigger of his handgun and fired off a round. The Sorrow, did not fall to the ground nor did he move a muscle but he continued to stand his ground. The soldier around the cul-de-sac were instantly frightened, even the officer stared at The Sorrow, his brown eyes wide with fear.

"What manor of man are you?" He questioned, dropping his gun to the ground.

"Sad." The Sorrow said somberly. "So sad."

The officer began to tremble wildly.

"A host of sorrows;" He said looking around at everyone. "And you are all one of them."

Now frightened to the point of hysteria, the officer once again asked The Sorrow the same question.

"I am one who can communicate with those who are dead."

"The dead?" The commander questioned trembling.

All the young men began to scream and cry out. Their blood curdling cries filled the air and sent an unnatural chill down The Sorrow's spine; however he had to maintain control of the situation. He could not afford to let their sorrows overwhelm his senses.

"Silence men!" The commander screamed. "It's a trick we are not dead. This is some sort of mind control, a hoax!"

Gradually all the young men ceased their cries and screams.

"Did you think you could trick us with your mind control games?" The commander said getting very angry with The Sorrow. "You foreigners are all the same. You come in here with your tricks and pretend that you are winning the war, when it is all lies."

The commander picked up his gun from the ground and once again held it to The Sorrow's head. The commander squeezed off another round from his gun. Just as before, nothing happened to The Sorrow when he fired off the shot, so the commander continued to squeeze off round after round until the bullet chamber was complete empty. The Sorrow looked at the commander with a sad stare while the commander looked with a renewed sense of fear.

"You commander." The Sorrow said gently. "Have died here in this alley along with all of your men."

The commander said nothing; he just fell to his knees and wept in disbelief. The commander looked at The Sorrow and then turned his gaze to his frightened men. He contemplated for a moment if what The Sorrow said was true. Could it be they were all dead? The last thing he remembered was briefing the soldiers in the cul-de-sac and securing the area. He figured a cul-de-sac would be a great vantage point to ambush any unsuspecting soldiers that wondered into Berlin. While he was briefing everyone, there was a really hollow metallic sound coming from an approaching airplane but after the plane passed he didn't remember anything.

The Sorrow could see the commander trying to remember exactly what happened, but he knew the story. They were in an unsafe place at the time of an explosion. Judging from the fire that was now raging out of control, the explosion that killed them all had to have been massive; their bodies were probably instantly incinerated by the blast. Their senseless death was the folly of their lack of proper training, inexperience, and youth.

However sad this may be, there was little The Sorrow could say to comfort the bitterly weeping soldiers. It would be best to try to get them all to pass into the next realm. But before he sent them on their new journey, he needed to know where General Dönitz was.

"Where is General Dönitz?" The Sorrow questioned sternly. "I have to find him."

The commander pulled himself together and stood on his feet.

"Why should I tell you anything spy?" The Commander asked bitterly.

"Because I can lead you to your new path, so you can find solace." The Sorrow answered quickly. "Unless you and your platoon wish to wonder this alley for all eternity?"

"The General is holding up in a small base in the northern part of the city." The commander said without hesitation. "It's not very far from here."

The Sorrow smiled to the young man and said nothing as he pointed them out of the alleyway and down to a path that was not lit by the flames of war, but a path that was bright and peaceful. One by one each young soldier walked down the brightly lit path each with a warm smile on their face. As they left the flame engulfed ally behind, their fears melted away and their spirits disappeared. This was a site that The Sorrow was more then happy to see. The last soldier to leave the cul-de-sac was the commander, who turned and thanked The Sorrow for helping them move on. The Sorrow said nothing; he just continued to smile calmly as the commander's spirit too disappeared into the next realm.

As the last spirit faded away, The Sorrow realized he had to pull himself together. This alley was a very dangerous place and the fire that blazed was now threatening to envelop everything around him. While he was grateful for both the information and helping those boys find their new path, leading souls to the world of the dead was exhausting work and it drained him immensely. But he would have to fight off the fatigue and return to The Boss and the rest of the Cobras. The now possessed the knowledge to bring Germany to justice and possibly end the war.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

The members of the Cobra Unit all slept peacefully on the floor of the abandon building where they were holding up waiting for The Sorrow's return. Hours had passed since he had gone out into the city on his reconnaissance mission, but no one had heard a word from him since leaving. The Boss sat up against a wall looking at the door waiting for either The Sorrow's return or in case a Nazi soldier happened to stumble in here as part of their sweep of the area. She held her sten gun tightly in her grasp as she watched the door intently. She was hoping for something to happen and soon. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and she could feel herself growing weary. Thankfully the air raid had concluded for the remainder of the night and they could afford to relax without having to worry about the peril of a random bomb blast ending their lives. The sounds that remained were the sounds of battles that raged in the distance and the sounds that the fire brigade made as they tried to put out some of the many fires that raged around Berlin.

The Boss pulled out her pocket watched and looked at the time; it was a little after 9:30. The Sorrow had been gone for over five hours. Try as she may to not let her feelings of worry overwhelm her senses, she stood to her feet and walked over to a nearby window to see if she could see The Sorrow or anyone else. Taking look, she couldn't see anyone or anything stir. Most of the civilians probably fled the city, the only ones who remained were loyalist to the Nazi party and any soldiers charged with defending the crumbling city.

Her eyes then glanced at the still burning chancellery and she shook her head. She was very disappointed in not being able to capture Hitler alive, however it should have been expected he would pull such a cowardly move. It was very typical of high ranking Nazi party members to end their own lives instead of facing justice. How anyone could follow someone who would just abandon their countrymen in a time of chaos was beyond comprehension. However this did beg the question, if Hitler and most of the Nazi top brass were dead, who was the commander of the army? Hitler had to have appointed someone to act in his stead, but who could it be? Hopefully when The Sorrow returned he would have an answer for The Boss.

The Boss moved away from the window and pulled out her pocket watch again. Only a minute passed since she last glanced at her watch. It was getting late and she was beginning to fear the worst for The Sorrow. She knew better then to let him venture out alone. When it comes to recon missions it's always best to send teams of two instead of one, but he seemed so confident as he left as if he knew exactly where to find the officers who were in hiding. Sitting down at the small table The Boss tried to calm her tension by disassembling and reassembling her sten gun over and over to the point of obsession. Doing this kept her mind occupied and her hand busy. As she prepare to disassemble her gun one more time, the door flung open and The Boss rose to her feet, as did the frazzled members of the Cobra Unit. Thankfully it was The Sorrow coming in from his reconnaissance mission.

"Oh it's you." The Boss said with a sigh of relief.

"Everyone we've got to get the hell out of here." The Sorrow said sounding absolutely panicked.

"Why?" The Fury asked. "What's going on?"

"I just met up with a few of my friends from the Red Army." He said. "They are moving to where General Dönitz is holding up."

"Is he the commanding officer of the Nazi party?" The Boss asked.

"Yes." The Sorrow said. "The Red Army is about two miles south from the position of his holding place. Their orders from Stalin are not to accept surrender from anyone, but to kill every civilian and Nazi soldier in their path."

"We can't let the Red Army get to Dönitz." The Boss said.

"I know." The Sorrow answered. "Currently we are about half a mile north from his holding position. If we can get to him before they do, we can get him to surrender and turn him over to Allied forces."

"That shouldn't be a problem." The Boss said confidently. "Half a mile isn't far at all."

"It could prove to be a little problematic." The Sorrow said.

"Why?" The Boss asked.

"Our path is cut off by a Nazi blockade and a fire that's completely out of control." The Sorrow replied. "The only way to the General is to travel around it or go directly through it."

"I say we fight through the blockade and the fire." The Pain said sternly.

"Yes!" The Fear chimed in. "How bad can the fire be?"

"From what I observed it was pretty treacherous." He said. "But if we move fast enough we may be able to go through it."

"How many men were at the blockade?" The Boss asked.

"About twenty men." He answered. "All carrying MP40 submachine guns."

The Boss thought for a moment about how to get through the blockade. There was no way they could do a sneak attack, so they had to take down the enemy head on. The best way to go about this was to do a line formation and mow down the patrol team. No doubt they would be easy targets since they were stationed at a blockade. Once they cut down the guards, they could run through the fire and head to General Dönitz. This was the only way.

"Ok." She said sternly. "We are going to go directly though the blockade and head right for the General. But if we intend to run through a fire we have to protect ourselves."

The Cobra's instantly knew what she had in mind. If they wet their clothes down before the left, getting though the fire would be a bit easier. However, the weight of their wet clothes would undoubtedly slow them down, but it was the only way if they had any intentions of making through the fire relatively unharmed. The Boss and the others quickly ran up the stairs of the empty house and ran into the bathroom to douse themselves in water. Once each member was completely soaked from head to toe, they all gathered in the main room once more and prepared their weapons. Once everyone was assembled The Boss led the Cobra Unit out of the house and down the streets of Berlin.

Moving quickly, The Boss and the members of the Cobra Unit all took their straight line formation and ran in the direction of the blockade. They didn't have to run too far before they came upon with the twenty men who stood guard over the fire. The Sorrow was absolutely correct as always. The fire did run out of control and it looked pretty dangerous to travel through, but there was no choice. They had to go through the blaze if they wanted to save General Dönitz from a gruesome demise at the hands of the Red Army. All in unison, the Cobras readied their weapons and began to fire upon the hapless Nazi at the blockade.

"Stand your ground!" The blockade commander shouted at the troops, who were now firing back at the Cobra Unit.

Each member of the Cobra unit worked like a well oiled machine, each taking down on soldier after another with horrific precision. The Fury shot a blast of searing hot fire to the blockade commander. His ghastly cries were deafening as his body melted away under the intense flames. The other members were quick and sure shots with their respective guns. Anyone who was unlucky enough to cross their path lives were instantly cut down. The untrained soldiers had no time to react as the Cobra Unit destroyed them all with what seemed like minimal effort. Once every last member of the blockade was dead, they holstered their weapons and all took off running in the direction of the fire.

The Fury was the first to break formation and take off into the hellish inferno. Followed shortly by The End, The Pain, and The Fear. The Boss and The Sorrow decided to stick together as they ran into the fray. Taking The Boss's hand The Sorrow lead the way though.

Inside of the fire was beyond tortuous. The heat of the fire instantly dried their soaking wet clothes; it was as though they had never been drenched in water. Their skin felt as though it would liquefy and their hands would be forever bonded together underneath the intense temperature. But neither would let go of each others hand. The Boss and The Sorrow took comfort in knowing as they held on to each other they were safe passing though the seemingly endless wall of flames that raged around them. Running as fast as they could, The Sorrow and The Boss continued through the fire.

The smoke was a black as midnight making it virtually impossible to see where they were going. Several times they stumbled over burning pieces of wood or other shrapnel that littered their path. But they had to remain on their feet; to fall would mean they would not stand a chance inside the field of fire. Running as fast as they could The Sorrow finally could feel a little cool air, which would mean they were practically out of the fire.

The Sorrow and The Boss both pumped their legs faster as the way out of the flame trap was clear. With a big jump both The Boss and The Sorrow made it out, with their clothes smoldering. Falling to their feet and gasping for air, the other members of The Cobra Unit walked over to them to make sure they were ok.

"I'm fine." The Boss said panting for air.

"Me too." The Sorrow said.

The Fear looked and saw that they were still holding hands and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Ok." The Boss said standing up and letting go of The Sorrow's hand. "Are we ready men?"

"Yes Boss." They all answered in unison.

"Good." She said. "Let's go get Dönitz."

The Boss took a good look around at their surroundings. This place was totally desolate and appeared to be the hardest hit in tonight's air raid. There was nothing for miles around, just a few small buildings that did not look all that structurally sound due to all the explosions that raged around them. The roads ran crimson from the blood of people who were killed in the recent attack on the city. The heavy smoke from the fire and the smell of fresh death filled the lungs and clouded the mind. But they had to remain on the defensive. If General Dönitz was in this area, then there had to be people patrolling the area, but there didn't appear to be anyone for miles around.

"We should be close to his bunker." The Boss said. "Sorrow, do you know where he is holding up exactly?"

The Sorrow looked around and saw a small building in the distance that didn't have anyone patrolling, but he was certain that was where Dönitz was holding up. According to another spirit he had encountered in his travels, General Dönitz had a very small group of soldiers with him and none of them seemed too apt to engage in battle anymore. From what he was told, their supplies were at a dangerously low end and their morale was practically non-existent. They knew the war was over and that surrender was inevitable.

"That building." The Sorrow pointed out. "I am sure of it."

"Very well." The Boss said. "Let's make our approach to the target."

The Cobra Unit all took their positions. The Fury and The Pain guarded the rear, The End and The Fear guarded the right and left while The Boss and The Sorrow took the front. As they got closer to the building, each person began to fan out to cover each side of the building. When each member was in place The Boss and The Sorrow took their positions at the front door and readied their weapons. The Boss's heart pounded in her chest, this seemed way too easy. There would be no way the Nazi's could give up so easily, this had to be a trap of some sort.

Taking a deep breath in The Boss looked at The Sorrow and gave the signal. The Sorrow kicked in the door as The Boss prepared her sten gun to fire at any unruly soldiers who may be willing to give up their lives to protect the general. However, when they entered the bunker, all they saw was a submissive General and about seven soldiers all with their hands in the air ready to surrender to The Boss.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Outskirts of Paris, France

September, 1947

The Boss was up staring intently at the campfire as the other members of the unit slept peacefully around her. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't close her eyes and fall asleep. Her mind kept spinning a mile a minute; it was hard to believe that this would be the Cobra unit's final mission together. The war had ended two years earlier and they were now relegated to doing clean up missions for the US government.

All of Europe, since the fall of the Nazi party, had been in absolute chaos. There were rebellions, skirmishes, and constant threats posed by lingering Nazi sympathizers who tried to rebuild the Nazi party. Europe was spiraling out of control and the climate was far more dangerous now then it was during the war.

No matter how dangerous it was in Europe currently, this last mission was very bittersweet for The Boss. They began their first mission and France and they would finish their final mission in France. Ironically enough, they were sent to find the same man, Chapin Beaumont, a Nazi sympathizer and traitor to the French resistance in the early days of the war.

According to the three generals Beaumont was trying to rebuild the Nazi party in and around Paris and his deranged plan to resurrect the party was beginning to gain a small following. He had about ten to fifteen people in his group and they were causing problems of various sorts. Beaumont and his gang had taken to killing Allied soldiers as well as kidnapping officials around Paris, and holding them for astronomical ransoms. This illicit activity has been going on with Beaumont and his group for nearly a year now. In addition to these crimes, he and his gang had gained a reputation for robbing banks and other financial institutions in and around the area. No doubt the money from these ill-gotten ventures was being used to fund the restoration of the new Nazi party.

Beaumont, however, made a critical lapse in judgment when he preformed his last heist. The bank that he had chosen in a recent caper was owned and operated by The Philosophers and was one of their most important financial institutions. Moreover, the money he had absconded with was a small percentage of the now divided Philosophers Legacy. But it did not matter how large or small the amount taken; no one would ever dare steal money from The Philosophers and expect to get away with the crime. When news that a percentage of the legacy had been stolen, the US, Russia, and China all demanded all persons involved be found and executed quickly.

The Boss groaned in disgust as she thought about this mission. A mission like this could have easily been taken care of by any of the Philosophers assassin squads or mercenary groups that remained in the area. Why send the Cobras in for an execution? A mission such as this was so beneath the Cobra units' talents and abilities. The only reason possible reason why they were sent on this mission was to continually punish her for hiding her pregnancy. Three years later and they were still harboring deep seeded resentment about Adam; when would they ever let it rest?

Turning her gaze away from the campfire, The Boss sighed sorrowfully. Her child was now three years old and more then likely knew nothing of his parents. God only knows what nonsense The Philosopher's have been filling his mind with. Knowing how cruel they were, they more than likely told him that his parents were dead or that they did not love and abandoned him. If only there were some way to see him, just once; to let him know that his parents were still alive and loved him dearly, but it was no use. The likelihood of them ever seeing Adam was non-existent. It was three years later, but the pain of loosing him to the Philosopher's was still fresh as the day it happened.

The Boss sighed again and tried to settle down for a good nights sleep. Finally a wave of exhaustion swept over her. Her eyelids began to feel heavy and her body practically fainted with fatigue. After tossing and turning in her sleeping bag for a few moments longer, The Boss finally closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

It was a dreary grey morning as The Cobra Unit woke up from their sleep and made preparations for the mission. Once everything was prepared they all sat by the fire and partook in this morning's meal which consisted of fresh eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, toast and more importantly fresh coffee. Everything was so thoughtfully prepared by The Sorrow, who had recently become the unit's resident chef. This bountiful breakfast was such a much welcomed treat for the weary unit who normally dined on leftover wild animals from the night before and drank water; however their good fortune came from a nearby farmer who was kind enough to give them food and supplies they would need for this mission. According to The End and The Fury, the farmer was a benevolent man who was key member in the French Resistance during the days of the war. He understood the sacrifices The Cobras were undertaking currently and was more then happy to help in anyway he could.

As they all sat around the fire partaking in this wonderful feast, The Boss looked at the unit and she smiled. This would be the last time they would all be together like this. She knew when she created The Cobras that it would not last forever, but after going into the fray so many times and surviving the most brutal battles and dangerous missions it was hard to say good-bye to them. They all had been through so much together in the five years, to see it end was rather heartbreaking.

"It seems that this will be our last meal together gentlemen." The Boss said putting down her empty plate. "You must tell me, what will you all do with yourselves after our mission is over?"

The Fury, who was always the least talkative of the Cobra unit, spoke up immediately, "I intend to return to Russia and work in the development of weapons."

"What kind of weapons." The Boss asked.

"I've heard Russia is making strides in missile development." He answered. "I would love to help with their development."

"What about you The End?" The Fury asked. "What do you intend to do?"

"I'm not sure." The End said softly. "I'm never really certain about what to do with myself when I'm not in battle. Perhaps I'll just retreat back into the woods and live my remaining days as a hunter and trapper."

"But that's my profession." The Fear chimed in.

Everyone laughed.

"What about you Fear?" The Fury asked. "What will you do?"

"I may join back with my old mercenary group." He said. "I hear the region where I grew up is in turmoil again; I must fight to defend my countryside."

"And you Pain?" The Boss asked.

"Thanks to you and our successful unit, I will be fully employed by the US army research division." The Pain said with pride. "My work with hornets has caught the eye of a few generals and they are thinking of implementing bees, hornets, and other insects as defense tactics."

"What about you Sorrow?" The Boss asked. "What are you going to do?"

The Sorrow hesitated for a moment; this was a question he didn't want to answer. Not because he had nothing to do, but because this was a realization that the unit was breaking up and they would never be together again.

"I." The Sorrow still hesitated. "I don't think I want to answer this question right now."

"That's fair." The Boss said touching his shoulder gently.

"So what about you Boss?" The End asked. "What do you intent to do?"

"Well." She thought for a moment. "I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing. I'm still employed by the US government and I'm sure I'll be sent on various missions, but I was thinking about maybe taking students."

"Training the new generation eh Boss?" The End asked.

"Yes." She answered with a smile on her face. "I would love to educate someone about all the techniques I have learned over the years. As well as implement a few new things I've learned."

"I think you would make an excellent teacher Boss." The End said kindly. "You're so knowledgeable about battle techniques."

About two hours later, the Cobra Unit made their way to the little cottage where Beaumont and his gang were holding up. The Cobra's were all in place and ready to take down Beaumont and his posse, there would be no place he or his gang members could run if they tried to leave the cottage. The Cobra's were waiting like wild beasts stalking their prey. The Boss and The Sorrow took the front position and crept up slowly to the front door. The Boss gave a stern knock on the door.

"I bring news from the city." The Boss said speaking perfect French in an attempt to lure Beaumont or one of his comrades out.

The door slowly opened and The Boss instantly grabbed the man who had the unfortunate task of being the point man. Instantly placing her combat knife to the man's throat, The Boss walked into the room with her hostage, with The Sorrow following closely behind with his handgun drawn and ready to fire. Thankfully Beaumont was not heavily guarded. Besides the hostage The Boss had, there were only about six unarmed men in the room with Beaumont. For someone who was supposed to be the leader of a major uprising, he didn't have a lot of followers around giving him support. Perhaps all the stories about Beaumont weren't true after all.

"So we meet again my dear." Beaumont said cheerfully as if they were old friends whom have not seen each other in ages.

"It would seem so." The Boss said keeping a tight reign on her hostage.

"And I see you brought your friend Le Attrister." He said. "Long time no see eh friend?"

The Sorrow did not say a word nor move a muscle. He just continued to keep his hand steady on the trigger of his pistol.

"Where's the money Beaumont?" The Boss asked.

"What is this money you speak of?" He reversed the question.

The Boss was not in the mood to play games with Beaumont. Her duty was to get the stolen Legacy back into Philosopher hands and kill all those involved. Showing Beaumont just how serious she was, The Boss slit the throat of the man whom she held hostage. Once his lifeless body fell to the floor, The Boss immediately pulled out her M1911 and pointed it at Beaumont.

"I'll ask you again." The Boss said coldly. "Where is the money?"

Beaumont was shocked, but not at all afraid.

"My, my." Beaumont said shaking his head. "This war has changed you moi cheri."

The Boss was now very fed up with Beaumont's antics; picking a quick target, she shot one of Beaumont's henchmen, killing him with unspeakable accuracy.

"I'll keep going until you tell me where the money is."

Beaumont was again shocked, but unlike the first henchmen whom she had slaughtered, seeing her shoot a man in the head was a little more unnerving. She had to be very serious about finding the money he had stolen.

"Listen moi cheri..."

But before he could continue with his sentence, The Boss shot another man in the forehead killing him instantly.

"Keep going Beaumont." She said coldly. "I have three more targets and five more bullets, and as you can see, I'm a very accurate shot."

"Killing me won't help you find where I've hidden the money." He said wickedly.

"True." The Boss replied in the same cold tone. "But it will help me feel better."

Beaumont looked at how frightened the other men in the room were and he knew that if he didn't tell her where the money was she would kill them all and be damned. However he could not bear the thought of his gang being decimated by a woman. Perhaps if he brought some time there would be a way to contact the others, so they could take this bitch and her creepy friend down, but there was no time nor anyway to contact the others. He would just have to play along and hope to get his money back later.

"You want to know where I've hidden the money."

The Boss did not flinch as she put a fresh bullet into another one of Beaumont's gang members. The Sorrow was appalled to see The Boss killing unarmed men as she had been. She never before acted with such cruelty so why was she doing this now? Just seeing her cut down these men's lives practically tore him in half. This was not The Boss that he knew and loved.

"Stop stalling and tell me where the money is Beaumont?!" The Boss demanded.

"Please tell her Beaumont!" One of the men pleaded.

"All right!" Beaumont screamed as he got up from the chair he had been sitting on to go over to where he hid the money.

The Boss walked over to him and made sure he wasn't doing anything sneaky like trying to pull out a weapon. Beaumont slowly lifted up a small piece of rug and removed a piece of floorboard. Inside the floorboard was a small metal box which was locked.

"May I get the key?" Beaumont asked.

"Just do it slowly." The Boss said.

Beaumont reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small key. His hand was trembling as he put the key inside the locked box and twisted it open. The Boss didn't take her eyes off of Beaumont for a second as he reached into the metal box and pulled out what appeared to be fifteen thousand American dollars; most of the money was in five hundred dollar bills. The Boss was astounded that Beaumont pulled off a heist with such a hefty bounty, but he wasn't a stupid man, just arrogant. And this arrogance would now be his undoing.

"Is there anything else?" The Boss asked suspiciously.

"No my dear," Beaumont answered.

The Boss was furious with Beaumont at this point. His cocky manor was going to end right here and now. Readying her M1911, she pulled the trigger and callously watched at the bullet penetrated Beaumont's skull, splattering blood and small fragments of brains all over her. The only remaining member of Beaumont's now decimated gang stood there in absolute fear as The Boss turned her gaze from Beaumont's dead body to him. She had just killed everyone and he knew it was his turn to die. The Boss walked over to the man who was trembling with fear.

"Is there anything else he was hiding?" The Boss asked the man sternly.

The man didn't answer her. He was paralyzed with fear as he looked at The Boss who was soaked with blood and brain.

"I'll ask again!" She said holding her handgun to the man's temple. "Is there anything else he was hiding?"

"N-no." The man said shaking wildly.

"How old are you?" The Boss asked the man.

"Twenty?" The man answered.

The Boss removed her gun from the man's temple.

"My orders are to let none survive." She said coldly.

The young man didn't answer her. His head dropped from her gaze and he instantly knew he was going to die and prepared himself for the inevitable.

"However, I'm quite disgusted by today's events." She continued. "I am going to let you go."

"Madame?" He questioned.

"You are never to speak of this day." She said sternly. "You are never to mention anything about Beaumont, this gang, my partner, or myself do you understand?"

"Yes madame." The young man said sounding both shocked and elated at the same time.

"If you say anything to anyone, I will find the person you told and I will kill them." She said. "I will kill the people they know. And when it is all said and done, I will find you and I will kill you."

The young man began to cower again.

"And your death will not be as swift as Beaumont's either. Do I make myself clear?!" The Boss said. "You will die with this secret."

The young man stood there flabbergasted by The Boss's actions, but did not question her.

"Let's go." The Boss said.

The trio all walked outside and were all greeted by the rest of the Cobra Unit. The Boss then let the young man who was the only survivor of Beaumont's group go, the Cobra Unit all celebrated the success of the unit's final mission, all except for The Sorrow. He still couldn't believe how cruel The Boss was back there. Could it have been true about being ordered to kill everyone?

"Boss." The Sorrow said pulling her back from the rest of the group as they walked along back to the meeting point. "What the hell was that back there?"

"You heard what I said to that boy." The Boss said. "I was under orders to kill everyone."

"From who?" The Sorrow demanded.

"Does it even matter?" The Boss answered.

"Who sent us on that mission Boss?!" The Sorrow questioned angrily.

"The Philosophers!" She said. "Are you happy now?"

The Boss ran up to the rest of the group while The Sorrow walked behind them.

It had been two days since the Cobra Unit disbanded. The Boss had some extra free time on her hands and decided to take some time to travel for a while. It had been quite sometime since she had been able to travel and relax without having to worry about being called back to Washington on business. The Boss was in her bedroom packing her suitcase when suddenly there came a knock at her front door. Rushing down the stairs The Boss answered the door to find Sashenka standing there.

"Oh Sashenka." She said cheerfully. "What a pleasant surprise, won't you come in?"

"Thank you Boss." He said stepping inside the front hall. "I won't stay long."

"Don't be silly." The Boss said. "You can stay for as long as you want."

"No I have to finish packing." He said.

"Packing?" The Boss questioned.

"Yes." He stuttered. "I am returning to Russia. Premiere Stalin offered me a position in his ministry. I couldn't say no."

"Congratulations Sashenka." The Boss said happily. "I am proud of you."

"Thank you Boss." He said kindly. "I was hoping to convince you to come with me."

"Oh Sashenka." The Boss said sounding completely shocked.

"I know you want to teach others your skills, but I want you to come with me to Russia. I still want to marry you."

"Oh Sashenka." The Boss said sweetly. "I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll come with me." He answered.

"Sashenka." The Boss said. "I would love to be your wife, but can't just leave my country behind and start a new life in Russia."

"I would make you so happy Boss." Sashenka pleaded with her. "Please just give it a chance."

The Boss looked at Sashenka who looked so earnest and sweet. She hated to break his heart, but there was just no way she could abandon the US to become a housewife in Russia. There would be no way the US or the Philosophers would allow her to live out that romantic fantasy either. As much as she loved Sashenka and wanted to spend her life with her, she knew there would be no way they could ever be happy together.

"Sashenka listen." She said softly. "I think it's really sweet of you to want to turn this old war horse into a housewife, but I can't leave my country."

"But Boss…" Sashenka started.

"I love you Sashenka, but we'll never be happy together." She said. "We'll always be on the run. We'll never have a moment's peace."

"It doesn't matter as long as I have you." He pleaded.

"Please Sashenka." She said softly. "Go back to Russia. Enjoy your position in the Ministry, but forget about you and me."

Sashenka swallowed his pride and realized that she was not going to accept his offer of marriage. With a sigh he hugged The Boss tightly then walked to the front door.

"You know I'll never stop loving you Boss." He said.

"I know." She said with tears rolling out of her blue eyes. "I'll always love you too Sashenka."

Sashenka wiped the tears from her eyes before opened the door and walked outside. The Boss was trying to fight back more tears, but she couldn't hold back.

"Don't be sad Boss." He said tenderly. "I will always be with you."

The Sorrow walked down the bright sunlit street as The Boss watched him disappear from her life.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Washington DC

April 1962

The Boss walked through the hallowed halls of The Pentagon. It has been fifteen years since she had last been last summoned to The Pentagon and it appeared nothing much has changed. The building wasn't as new as it was in those days, but it still had that brand new luster about. Everything was polished to a mirrored shine and military types still rushed through the building scurrying from one place to a next. The Boss watched everyone going through their daily hustle and her mind was nostalgic for the old days during the war.

It was hard to believe that the war ended seventeen years before and it was even harder to believe that everything was so different now. All those years ago both the United States and Russia were fighting against a common enemy and now they were both common enemies; fighting a nasty bitter, but silent war against each other. It was such a paradox from the unity and camaraderie they had shared back in those insouciant days.

As she walked down the hall The Boss passed the conference room where she met with the three Generals for the last time back in 1947 and the memories of The Cobra Units last debriefing came flooding back. She remembered that they were delighted that the unit could finish their last mission and recover the entire portion of the stolen Philosopher's Legacy without difficulty. The Generals were always the most generous when the Cobra Unit pleased them. They were so satisfied with their work they were all given a substantial bonus for all their diligent effort and all the suffering they had endured during their time together as a unit during the war.

The Boss doubted very much if she would actually be meeting the Generals. They all retired a year or two after the Cobra Unit disbanded and were living quite civilian lives away from Washington now. Whoever she was meeting with must be in an urgent dire situation, because The Boss was living in seclusion when the stern knock came at her door. She still can't believe that they actually found her.

The Boss had been living alone in a very treacherous part of the Appalachian Mountains. There was no viable road that led to her small house. Only the one hidden footpath that wasn't very safe. Which was exactly the way The Boss wanted it; she longed for peace and quite. Her sanctity would be short lived. A few months into the solitude a small army brigade came to her door ordering her to come with them. She wasn't going to go at first, but then came the news that this was a direct order from the Philosophers, she knew she had no choice but to go with them.

The Boss came to the door of the conference room she was told to wait. She hated this entire ordeal. She no longer wanted anything to do with the government. After what she had gone through in Cuba; after allowing those poor defenseless people to get decimated the way they did? That was completely inexcusable and she knew she would never forget that tragic moment nor forgive their cowardice.

The Boss informed them after the debriefing to consider her retired from that point on, but her wishes did not matter. Sitting at the long table, The Boss waited quietly for whomever, to come in a brief her on the current situation and what this new mission would be. This was not like the old days at all. Something felt very wrong, she couldn't put her finger on it, but something was amiss.

After about five minutes of waiting a man walked in and sat down at the table in front of The Boss.

"Good morning Boss." The man said kindly. "I am General Barksdale Wheeler."

"Hello." The Boss said kindly.

"We're just waiting for General Paul Hamlett and General Robert Harkins to arrive and then we'll be able to brief you in this troubling situation."

"Yes."

A short while later the other two Generals walked into the room and introduced themselves to The Boss and the briefing finally got underway.

"Let us be blunt here Boss." General Hamlett said sternly. "We know you requested retirement…"

"Yes." The Boss interrupted. "I do not wish to go back into action."

"We understand that Boss." General Harkins said. "But this is a situation that we feel only you can deal with."

"Me?" The Boss questioned. "What possibly could I have to offer?"

"Well." General Wheeler said. "About three days ago a man who was supposed to act as a sort of currier for us was murdered near the Kremlin. Shot executions style through the head."

"This man was one of our most dedicated spies and was on a very sensitive mission for the US government when he was killed." General Hamlett added.

"Yes," General Wheeler continued. "He was on his way to drop off a very important item for us when he was killed by an operative in the Ministry."

"What was this item?" The Boss asked.

"It was a microfilm." General Harkins said. "This microfilm contained the whereabouts the Philosopher's Legacy which disappeared a few years after the war."

"I thought that money was recovered?" The Boss questioned.

"Yes," General Wheeler said. "The part you recovered from France back in 1947 as well as half of the Legacy; that all remains in US custody. However we recently discovered that there is another few trillion dollars missing, which accounts for half of the Legacy."

"After making many inquiries we discovered that somehow, that half of the Legacy ended up in Russia." General Harkins added.

"We were informed by this spy he knows where the remainder of the Legacy is located." General Hamlett said. "The information is contained on a secret coded microfilm which was in this man's possession."

"We have a feeling this is why he was murdered." General Harkins finished. "It is believed that someone in the Ministry knew that our man was a spy, so he was killed and the microfilm has been taken."

"Do you know who is supposed to have killed this spy and taken the microfilm?" The Boss asked.

"We obtained his name only yesterday which is why we sent for you." General Hamlett said. "His name is Sashenka Yerik Trofimoff."

"What?!" The Boss exclaimed. "No!"

"He is the director of security at the KGB, currently working in their intelligence ministry." General Wheeler said sternly. "And a former member of your Cobra Unit."

"No!" The Boss exclaimed again. "This is a mistake. I know that man, he would never…"

"Times have changed Boss." General Harkins interrupted. "I'm sure the man you think you know has changed as well."

"He's right Boss." General Wheeler said. "If this Trofimoff fellow is the director of security at the intelligence ministry then there's no doubt in my mind he would kill a spy without hesitation."

The Boss shook her head in disbelief; this had to be a mistake.

"We understand that this is a shock for you Boss." General Harkins said. "But this is why we needed you to come."

"What?" She said. "You want me to kidnap him and bring him back to the US to face justice?"

"That would be impossibility." General Hamlett said. "There is no way anyone from the Kremlin would let one of their own mysteriously disappear; especially when the missing person is the head of security. It would look very suspicious."

"No Boss your mission is to find and kill Trofimoff." General Wheeler said.

"I refuse!" The Boss said sternly preparing to leave the room.

"Boss you can't refuse." General Harkins said sitting her back down.

"The hell I can't!" She hissed angrily.

"Now listen Boss." General Harkins continued. "We know that because of your previous close relationship with Mr. Trofimoff you could easily get into the Soviet Union and find where Trofimoff is hiding and dispose of him quickly."

"Where he's hiding?" The Boss asked.

"According to another one of our moles, Trofimoff left Moscow thirty-six hours ago." General Wheeler said. "We were informed that he may be hiding in an abandon factory five hundred miles west of Moscow."

"In an area known as the Virgin Cliffs in a place called Tselinoyarsk." General Hamlett added. "But we're not sure of this exact location. Our boys in intelligence are still working on it."

"I don't want to do this." She said angrily.

"You have no choice Boss." General Wheeler said sternly. "You do this or we will be forced to have you arrested immediately."

"I don't care." She retorted.

"There will be no trial for you Boss." General Wheeler continued. "You will be executed within days of your arrest."

"I still don't care." The Boss said sternly.

"Well let me put it to you another way Boss." General Wheeler said. "I know exactly where your son Adam is."

The Boss said nothing to that; she just sat in her chair ridged at the mention of her son's name.

"If you corporate with us I will make sure you are reunited with him." He said in a deep conniving tone. "Or I could send him on a highly dangerous mission; one where he wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. After all he's still very young and inexperienced… How old is he again? Nearly 18 in a couple of months, isn't that right Boss?"

Damn this bastard for using Adam against her. She didn't think anyone knew of him, but apparently the Philosopher's knew she would refuse to take this mission and decided to use Adam as leverage against her. This whole mission rubbed her the wrong way, it felt like a set up. There was no way that Sashenka would just murder an operative without justification. Even if the man killed was a spy for the US, Sashenka would have done everything in his power to ship the man back to the US, not just kill him indiscriminately. Also what of the microfilm? Why would he kill the man and abscond with important government information? He would have immediately turned that into his superiors rather then face a worldwide manhunt. These were not the actions of the man who was once her beloved comrade; this had to be a set up.

"I…" The Boss stammered and looked down at the table. She didn't want to accept this mission; she didn't want to murder her friend and lover. "I don't want to do this."

"You have few choices here Boss." General Wheeler said. "One of you must live and one of you must die."

"An eye for an eye huh?" She questioned bitterly.

"It seems only fair to us Boss." General Wheeler said in a cruel tone. "After all it was the Soviets that stole the Legacy and killed one of our best operatives."

The Boss looked up from the table, into General Wheeler's fridge brown eyes and asked, "And those are my only two choices?"

"Yes." He answered.

The Boss sat silently for a second. She felt a pain in her stomach that she had not felt in eons. She didn't want to take this mission, but she had no other recourse. With a heavy sigh she finally answered, "When do I leave?"

"You leave right now." General Wheeler said. "Your plane is being fuelled up at Langley and you leave from there."

General Wheeler continued with his briefing, but The Boss was not listening anymore. She couldn't believe she just agree to end the life of a man who was her dearest friend; the father of her child. Why was this happening? What would be gained by killing Sashenka? As she sat there trying to think of answers, the knot in her stomach grew tighter and tighter. This wasn't how she wanted to end their friendship, but it would appear she had no choice. Soon she would depart for the Soviet Union to kill the man she loved.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tselinoyarsk, Russia

April 1962

It was pitch black by the time The Boss arrived at the drop point it had to have been at least half past nine or ten o'clock by now. During this point in the spring Russia's sunsets are usually around 8:30 so it was best to believe it was a little later in the evening. Even worse then the darkness it was now starting to rain very heavily. There would be no way she could make camp outside, so she had to find some place out of the elements.

The Boss looked at her map and saw the point where the abandon factory was. From the looks of things it didn't appear to be too far from her current position, just across the wooden foot-bridge. Running up the hill and through the crevice in the hillside, The Boss made her way down to the small wooden bridge. The rain and wind were blinding; the winds howled ferociously and the sound of the heavy pouring rain deafened her ears. The Boss looked at the unstable bridge whip wildly around in the crosswinds and realized that she wasn't walking across that rickety old thing, lest she end up plummeting to the raging river below. If she was going to make it to the abandon factory, she would have to find another way around.

The Boss backtracked for hours searching for a viable way to the abandon factory. She ended up going about eleven miles out of her way, which wasn't easy with the horrible tempest raging around her. The rain was so torrential that she could barely see anything that wasn't on the edge of her nose. The cold rain water seemed to soak her down the bare bone, weighing down not only her spirits, but also her clothes and equipment as well. The backpack that contained her vital essentials seemed to weigh forty pound instead of the original ten it started out.

Far worse then the backpack was breathing in the tiny drops water that dripped off her nose. With each breath she took it felt as though she was going to drown. The Boss tried to alleviate this terrible feeling by breathing through her mouth, but it was the same result over and over. The best thing for her would to get out of this terrible weather and head immediately to Sashenka's hiding place.

Finally her toil and persistence paid off. After about three hours, she finally made it to the abandon factory. According to the intelligence Sashenka was hiding here, evading the Kremlin for the theft of the microfilm.

As The Boss cautiously walked through the interior of the abandon factory, she still had the same gnawing at the pit of her stomach feeling that something about this mission was wrong. If only she had a little extra time to figure out what was going on and why all of a sudden The Philosophers wanted Sashenka dead it would make more sense. Not that it would make things better, because she didn't want to have to go through with this, when The Philosophers were involved there was no alternate recourse she could take. She was going to have to kill him.

The storm outside was growing worse; she would have to take the chance and make Sashenka's supposed hiding place, her refuse for tonight. Perhaps the guys at the Central Intelligence Agency were wrong and maybe he wasn't hiding here? The Boss walked inside the burned out interior of the building and pressed herself against one of the walls to see if she could hear anything or anyone stirring. As she pressed against the wall, she could feel a temperature change. The wall was very warm, as if someone had a warm fire going inside the other room. The Boss steadied herself and prepared her M1911.

Gradually The Boss walked up to the door of the next room and prepared herself for what may be in the next room. She had to be doubly careful because it could be a trap, she was deep inside enemy territory and who knows what was waiting for her. The Boss slowly reached for the door and braced herself for what was inside. Throwing open the door and instantly clutching the M1911 with both hand, The Boss looked and there sitting upon the rusty old bed was an unarmed Sashenka.

"Hello Boss." He said casually as if she had just come home from a normal day.

"So you are here." She said not taking her gun down.

"Yes." He said softly. "I've been here waiting for you for three days."

"Why aren't you armed?" She asked walking closer to him.

"Armed?" He asked strangely. "I did not come here to fight you Boss."

"Damn it Sashenka!" She said sounding exasperated.

"Boss." He said calmly. "I know why you're here and I know what you have to do, so let's not spend our last night together as enemies."

The Boss didn't say anything to his last statement. She just looked at him strangely. If he knew she was here to kill him, why was he not trying to fight her?

"Please Boss." Sashenka said sweetly. "I don't want us to spend this horrible night fighting. I want our last night together to be as it was all those years ago."

The Boss couldn't help but keep her guard up. He was her friend yes, but now he was her enemy. Suppose this was a trick? But Sashenka would never lure her into a trap. Then again the Sashenka she knew would never callously murder someone and then run off with government information. This had to be a trap. Sashenka looked at The Boss and smiled. He could see that she was deadlocked in a bitter internal struggle. He had to do something if he was going to get her to trust him.

"You don't trust me?" He said softly.

"Sashenka I've been sent here to kill you." The Boss answered.

"Yes." He said. "I know."

"And you're telling me that you don't want to fight me?" She asked.

"No."

"How am I supposed to react to that Sashenka?" She asked.

"Well, you could put your gun away for a start."

The Boss didn't move her gun and asked, "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"I give you my word as a member of the Cobra's." He said earnestly. "This is not a trap."

The Boss knew that she could relax and trust Sashenka. No matter what the current political climate between the US and the Soviet Union, she knew that the bond they shared at combat buddies was far stronger. Slowly put her gun back into it holster and she began to relax.

"You must be cold Boss." The Sorrow said getting up to throw more wood on the fire. "Please rest here tonight."

The Boss dropped her backpack by the door and ran immediately to the warm fire. She was indeed freezing and the warm fire was a welcome greeting. The Sorrow took out a blanket from his own backpack and wrapped it around The Boss.

"Oh I don't want to get your things all wet." She said kindly.

"It's ok Boss." He said kindly. "I don't mind. Besides you need to warm up."

"I'll never get warm in these wet things." She said standing up and completely disrobing.

Sashenka turned away from her as she undressed to give her a little privacy. When she was fully naked she took the blanket from Sashenka's hands, but noticed that he wasn't looking at her, which surprised her.

"You know," She said coyly. "There use to be a time when you would kill to see me like this."

Sashenka looked her and gulped. She was still as beautiful as the day they first met. Her body was still in pristine condition, except for the scar from the day she gave birth to Adam. It had been many years since he had last laid eyes on that horrid scar; a scar that he had given her. It was fully healed but it still looked as fresh as the day it happened. Seeing this scar nearly tore his heart in half and he couldn't imagine how she managed to live her life with this scar, it must have been very difficult for her.

"What?" She said noticing the heartbroken expression on his face.

"Boss…" He said shyly. "I… I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" She questioned as she wrapping herself up in the warm blanket. "Sorry for what?"

"That I couldn't be as strong as you." He said.

The Boss looked at Sashenka. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't find the words. She wanted to apologize to him too. She wished things could have been different, but there was just no way.

"Sashenka…"

Before The Boss could say another word, Sashenka kissed her passionately on her thin lips. When he kissed her it was like no time had passed between them. They were not two enemies on opposing sides; they were two lovers who needed each other. Hours later, Sashenka and The Boss were laying in bed wrapped in a tender lovers embrace. Being enveloped inside each others arms like this was such perfect bliss.

"Boss." Sashenka said. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" She answered sounding perplexed.

"You don't seem like the same woman from all those years ago." He said. "You seem so hard now. What happened to you?"

With a sigh The Boss recounted the events that took place during the last fifteen years of her life. Her traveling around the world, her exploits in the Korean War, her ten year training session with a young man named Jack, everything. Sashenka listed intently to all her stories. He was happy to hear that for the most part the last fifteen years were good and that it was only until very recently she began to get a disdain for her country. However he knew that she was still too much of a patriot to defect into the Soviet Union. When she was done with her stories, Sashenka held her tightly as if to reassure her that everything would be fine. No matter how comforting Sashenka was, she knew that she still had this mission looming over her.

"Now what about you Sashenka?" She said breaking from his embrace. "What has become of you over the last fifteen years?"

"Nothing much." He answered dryly. "I was enjoying my position as the Director of security in the Intelligence Ministry until about a week ago."

"When the spy was discovered?" The Boss questioned.

"Yes." He answered. "I feel responsible for his death."

"So you did kill him?" She questioned.

"No." He answered. "He was murdered by one of my new recruits to the Intelligence Ministry. He was young and didn't understand how I did things, but that was because of his upbringing."

"Don't you mean his training?" The Boss questioned.

"No." Sashenka answered. "I mean his upbringing. He grew up with a very cruel and wicked man named Yevgeny Brorosovich Volgin."

The Boss instantly recognized that name. His father, Boris Volgin, was one of the original members of the Wiseman's Committee and the keeper of the Philosopher's Legacy.

"I cannot blame this young man for acting the way he did." Sashenka said softly. "He was just doing what he thought was right."

"Then why are you protecting him?" The Boss asked.

Sashenka didn't answer her.

"You didn't kill him." The Boss said angrily. "Why run away and hide out here? Why not try to clear your good name?"

"Boss." He said kissing her sweetly on the forehead. "I couldn't let someone so young throw his life away for a momentary lapse in judgment."

"So you're going to sacrifice your life for his?" The Boss said angrily. "Someone you don't even know?"

"I don't mind sacrificing myself Boss." Sashenka said.

"You're a fool." She said breaking away from his tender embrace and lying on her side facing the wall.

"Oh Boss." He said rolling onto his side and stroking her slightly graying light brown hair. "Please don't be angry with me. You will understand soon why I choose to do this."

"No I won't." She said still seething with anger.

"Please don't be like this." He pleaded with her.

Sashenka gently caressed her hair for a moment which gradually made The Boss turn around and face him again. As she gazed upon his face, she could see that he was at peace with the decision he had made. But how could he be so calm and rational knowing that she was sent here to kill him? Sashenka saw the perplexed look on her face and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Sashenka…"

"It's ok Boss." He said softly. "I will explain everything to you later."

Sashenka then leaned over and kissed her lips gently and all her fears melted away; lost in a tide of passion and love.

The first rays of morning were just making their way into the shadows of the abandon factory. The rain had subsided and left behind a heavy blanket of moisture in the air. Outside the morning bird chirped as though they were excited about the promise of a new day and inside both The Boss and Sashenka lay next to each other sleeping peacefully.

After a few moments Sashenka began to stir and his eyes opened. He looked around for a second and realized he wasn't in his Moscow home, but far away in an abandon factory. He couldn't help but smile when he saw The Boss sleeping peacefully on her side next to him. It seemed like a dream that she was here. It was then he realized that he slept through the night without dreaming of the day he would die. It was the one time since he began having those dreams at the age of three he did not experience it. He smiled and pulled himself out of bed.

Quietly Sashenka picked up his clothes from the floor and got dressed. Once he was done, he walked over to the door of the abandon factory. He looked at The Boss one last time and his heart sank. He knew that once he walked out of this door they would no longer be lovers, but bitter enemies. He wished he didn't have to leave her this way, but there was no choice. With a deep sigh, Sashenka opened the door and stepped out into the early morning to await his fate. Meanwhile The Boss, who was not asleep as he suspected, was silently sobbing. Damn The Philosophers and damn herself for being too weak to stand against them. This was not going to be a good day…


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The sun shown brightly in the blue sky and the morning birds continued their sweet chirping. The weather was so warm and inviting, yet there was a slight cool breeze in the air. The tall trees dripped water from last nights storm and also blanked everything in a sweet heady perfume. It was a lovely morning; everything seemed so fresh and new, just as a spring day should.

It was a little after eleven in the morning when Sashenka made it to the raging river. He sat down upon a large rock that was embedded in the ground and took his scenery in. Everything was so lush and green, just as his dream showed him it would be, but he didn't realize how beautiful his final resting place would be. He smiled and thought about his fifty-two years life.

Sashenka's mind first drifted to is mother. He had not thought about her in such a long time. When she had first passed away, her spirit would visit him to make sure he was ok. She knew about his ability to communicate with the dead, which made it easy for her to peek in on him. When she did come to him, it would always be when he was alone so they could talk for a long time without interruption. The last time she visited him was about a month before his father died. But when he thought about it, she was always waiting for him in life, so why should death be any different.

Sashenka leaned back and looked up at the sky. It wasn't easy to see the sky because the trees blocked some of the view, but there was a small spot between a few of the tress where the sun and blue sky peeked through. The sky looked to serene and clear today; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was days like this that reminded him of his youth on his grandmother's farm. A farm he had long to go back to and rebuild, but he only wanted to return there with The Boss as his wife. Alas, it was never meant to be between them. Too man obstacles stood between them and as much as he longed to be her husband, The Boss would never quit being a solider, not then, not now, not ever. Breathing in the crisp air, Sashenka leaned back and patiently waited for the arrival of The Boss.

Sashenka left many clues for The Boss to find him. His route to this place wasn't exactly direct, but he knew if she followed his clues, finding him would be easy. What would not be easy would be her completing the mission she was sent here for. She still loved him deeply, but he knew he could not let her fail. As much of a sacrifice this was, he did not want to see her die. Perhaps someday she would understand and forgive him for this day. Perhaps after she learned of the truth it would be easier for her to pull the trigger.

About an hour and a half passed when finally Sashenka could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. They were light footsteps, but his ears were so in-tune with that sound he knew exactly who it was. Rising to his feet he came face-to-face with The Boss who was holding her M1911 tightly pointing at Sashenka.

"You are later then I had anticipated." He said calmly.

"Sashenka!"

"It is time Boss." He said softly.

"Sashenka why are you doing this?" She asked. "Why are you protecting some kid?"

"Because that kid is our Adam." He said softly.

The Boss was speechless.

"In all the years I've known you," He said with a smile. "I've only seen you speechless one other time. That was the night I told you I loved you."

"How do you know that boy was our son?" She asked pulling herself out of a state of shock.

"A father knows his son." He answered. "Besides, he still looks exactly like you. Honestly he is so much like you its uncanny. Intelligent, impetuous, determined much like you were in your younger days… It's funny, he wasn't raised by you, but he still acts just like you."

The Boss began to tremble and tears streamed out of her eyes. Everything began to make perfect sense now.

"Now do you understand why I had to protect him?" Sashenka said.

"Tell me what happened that night the spy was killed." The Boss demanded. "I want to know everything that took place."

Sashenka sighed then began to speak.

"That night the spy was killed, I happen to see Adam leading that young man into an alley a few streets from the Kremlin." Sashenka said. "I heard them arguing and I tried to intervene, explaining to Adam that if this man was a spy I had my own ways of dealing with spies. Naturally he did not want to listen to me and said the best way to deal with traitors is to destroy them. So he pushed me aside and killed the currier and took the microfilm."

"You know about the microfilm?" The Boss asked.

"Yes." Sashenka replied. "I know what is on that microfilm and why your country wants it so badly."

The Boss stood there shocked into silence but in a way she wasn't surprised. Sashenka probably obtained the information from the currier moments after he died.

"Shortly after the shots rang out I got up and took the gun from Adam's hands." He continued. "I told him that he would be executed if anyone ever found out about this, so I told him to blame everything on me. It took a lot of convincing, but I got him to agree. Shortly thereafter I was arrested, but it was Adam who let me escape, and so I fled here."

"Why here?" The Boss asked.

"Because another few hundred miles southwest of here is my grandmother's farm." He answered. "I wanted to head there to hide for awhile, but I am assuming it is crawling with KGB agents waiting to kill me on sight."

"Sashenka…"

"Also Boss I want you to know." He interrupted sternly. "I asked Adam to give the microfilm to someone in the Ministry. The information on there would be most valuable to the Soviet Union and I would prefer that the Soviet Union benefited from its information and not the US. Adam assured me that the microfilm would get into the right hands. Now that you know the truth, you must kill me."

The Boss gave Sashenka a confused look, but did not pull the trigger of her handgun and she let her arms fall to her side. It was hard to believe, but the man that stood before her was once a comrade, a friend, and her fellow solider; the one she looked up to more then anyone else, but now this man was her enemy. But why would he trade sides so easily? Looking into his pale hazel eyes, the answer just seemed to escape her. He was always so logical, he was always was the one to know right from wrong, but why give the microfilm to the communist party?

Face to face with Sashenka, Boss asked herself these questions over and over again, but really she was stalling. She didn't want to do it; she didn't want to be the one to end his life. Maybe there could be a peaceful resolution to this whole mess, but it seemed doubtful. The CIA and The Philosopher's wanted conformation of his death; there would be no way out of this except to kill him.

"Boss," Sashenka said with his normal calm and tender voice. "You have to shoot me."

"I can't!" She said with tears welling in the corner of her blue eyes.

"Shoot me!" He demanded. "You want to finish your mission don't you? Then you'll have to shoot me."

"No!" She said with her hand trembling.

Sashenka knew that he would have to take matters into his own hands. She had to finish her mission; he loved her enough to make sure she would not fail, even at the cost of his own life. He always wanted her to be a great success. It was one of the many things she fought so hard for; and now she contemplated throwing it all away over the feelings she carried for him. He couldn't let her do this.

Using his psychokinetic powers, Sashenka seized control over The Boss. However she was no fool; she knew that he would try this, so she attempted to block her mind. She tried to keep herself focused so he couldn't delve too deeply inside her mind, but it was a futile effort. Sashenka took complete control of her, and forced her to raise her arm. The Boss was trembling hard as her hand firmly griped the trigger of her handgun. Why was he making her do this? She didn't want things to end this way. The tears poured from her blue eyes as she felt her finger claps around the trigger.

"The spirit of the warrior will always be with you." He said in his most sweet tone. "Don't be sad. We'll meet again someday…"

The Boss tried valiantly to fight off his psychic powers, but it was too late. Her finger squeezed the trigger of the M1911. The bullet exploded from the chamber instantly shattering though the glass in his wire frame glasses, striking Sashenka's left eye. Sashenka's lifeless body instantly fell dead against the bolder he had been sitting on moments earlier.

Once he was dead, The Boss Sashenka's psychic powers began to subside and all her senses returned to her. Her hands were trembling wildly as the M1911 dropped to the ground. The Boss slowly walked over to Sashenka's body, picking him up tenderly she cradled his lifeless corpse and sobbed bitterly. The man she knew and loved was dead.


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue

Hanh, Mongolia

Thirty-Six Hours Later

At the border of the Soviet Union waited a man in heavy furs tending a small heard of Yak in the high mountains of Mongolia. He had been waiting for a day and a half for his contact to arrive from Russia. He received little information about this contact, all he knew was a woman would come from the north and it would be his duty to lead her to the local village and from there she would escorted back to the US. He was beginning to get worried about this mystery contact. She was supposed to arrive yesterday evening, however, it was the afternoon of the next day and she still had not appeared. Perhaps she was found by the Soviets and was captured or killed.

It was pretty late in the day and soon he would have to take his flock back into town and rest until the next morning. He would wait here for a little while longer to see if the mystery woman would appear. Finally after about twenty minutes of waiting, the man finally saw a figure emerging from the border. The man rubbed his eyes and tried to focus his vision as the slight figure walked closer to him.

"You are late." The man said with a gruff angry voice noticing the person walking up to him was a woman.

"Yeah." The Boss said.

The man then took his flock and began to walk with The Boss following closely next to him. Her thoughts weren't on the angry contact, she was still very upset about Sashenka's death. The reason why she was so late was because she spent hours cradling him in her arms, before she finally placed his lifeless body behind the bolder. She so wanted to burry him so the animals would not ravage his body, but she had no way to burry him. So she gently laid him down on the ground as if he was sleeping and took his shattered glasses as conformation of his death to satisfy the CIA and The Philosophers.

The Boss had not felt so sick in a very long time. This was now the second man The Philosophers had taken from her. No, she thought, this was now the third man they had taken away from her. First her father, then her son, and now Sashenka and each time they took away a man she loved it just bore a deeper hole in her heart. She knew that their tyranny would never end. Their lust for power and control wouldn't stop, not even after her death, which she was now certain would be coming soon.

Her heart sank as she continued walking beside the man in his many animals and that's when it hit her. That she wasn't strong as Sashenka thought she was; she was just another sheep in a flock of man controlled by The Philosophers. If she were, she would have stood up against The Philosophers. But she knew that there was no standing against them. Their reach and influence stretched all around the world and if she dared to take a stand against them their retribution would have had lasting effects.

At least her son was alive and thankfully Sashenka was lucky enough to work along side him. A joy she would possibly never know. However knowing how cruel The Philosophers were they would team them up on a mission where one of them had to suffer through the death of one of them. It was a vicious cycle of power and supremacy both she and Adam would have to suffer though until the end of their lives.


End file.
